


Daemons

by SaurexHAS



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Crossmare - Freeform, Horrorlust - Freeform, M/M, Scifell - Freeform, Soulmates, Swearing, Violence, afterdeath, dustberry - Freeform, errink - Freeform, kreme - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 09:01:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 130,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24348424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaurexHAS/pseuds/SaurexHAS
Summary: dae·mon/ˈdēmən/noun1. (in ancient Greek belief) a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans.2. archaic spelling of demon.Daemons used to be seen as godlike beings of great power, yet the word was twisted to mean something infernal or unnatural. Now they are nothing but myths and legends... or are they?Seven skeletons have traveled for years, never staying too long in one place for fear of those pursuing them. Yet the twisted strings of fate have drawn them to a particular city, promising to provide them with that their heart desires the most.
Relationships: Blue/Dust, Cross/Nightmare, Dream/Killer, Geno/Reaper, Ink/Error, Lust/Horror, Sci/Fell
Comments: 336
Kudos: 294





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first chapter of my weird brainchild! Originally posted on Wattpad, I figured that I'd post it here too while working on updates.
> 
> Honestly this whole story came to exist from the desire to make Nightmare a legitimate octopus :)  
> Fair warning though, this story goes down a lot of dark twists and turns. Warnings for specific chapters should hopefully be posted on any relevant chapters, but here's my blanket warning.  
> Also I swear. A lot. My characters swear. A lot.

The early fall breeze whipped through the tall skyscrapers, the lights of the city below reflecting off their glossy windows and illuminating the skyline. Monsters and humans milled about on the streets, the city’s lively atmosphere ever present despite the encroaching darkness of night. Yet this darkness did serve one purpose.

Hidden amongst the shadows at the peak of one of the tall buildings was a lone figure, his form indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness. Only those knowing to look for him would have a chance of noticing him, and even then he was a difficult find. His tall skeletal form was cloaked in a perpetually dripping inky substance, concealing his right eye from view. The black goop stained his clothes, turning the simple hoodie and pants he wore as dark as the rest of him. The only aspect of him not shrouded in darkness was a single piercing blue eye, which could be seen scanning the surrounding city. Four large black tentacles consisting of the same material that covered the rest of his body sprung out from his back, gently swaying in the night breeze.

The black skeleton’s single eye roamed across the nearby buildings, searching for familiar faces, threats, anything that could provide him with useful information. He really had nothing else to do as he waited for his companions arrive, and he was so used to constantly being on alert that it felt wrong for him to drop his guard, even for a mere moment. He knew he was strong, but he’d learned a long time ago that despite his enemy’s relative weakness in comparison, they were clever and had more than one way to make up the difference in strength.

His enemies were simply known as hunters. They were typically human, though a few monsters had been seen amongst them before. Hunters made a living by hunting down rare types of monsters, either killing them to sell their dust or capturing them to be auctioned off. It was something the dark skeleton and his crew had to constantly be aware of, otherwise they might be killed, or worse.

A sound echoed across the rooftop, originating at a point behind the goopy skeleton. He whipped around, tentacles raised behind him in a threatening manner. The figure was hidden nearly as well in the darkness, yet night vision was one of the many skills available to the first skeleton. He was quickly able to make out the other skeleton’s form and relaxed at the sight of one of his companions.

Jet black bones, accented with red and yellow, were hidden beneath a dark trench coat that faded to blue towards the ends, though the blue parts looked like they’d been stitched onto the coat as an afterthought. The coat was accented with bright gold along the collar and the pockets, standing out against the darker colours. He wore a red sweater and dark pants with a similar blue gradient to the coat underneath it. A blue scarf was wrapped around his neck, the tail of it swaying in the breeze. Blue tear marks streaked down his skull from a set of mismatched eyes. One eye was a simple white eye light within his red socket, yet the left eye was a dark blue surrounded by gold. Constant ERROR signs and glitches fizzled in and out of existence about his form perpetually, with seemingly no real pattern to them. Blue strings could be seen retracting from the air nearby to his fingertips, signifying his means of traversing to the top of the tall building.

“Nightmare that better be you.” The glitching skeleton called out into the darkness, lacking the night vision that allowed the other to see clearly.

“Yeah, it’s me Error.” Nightmare stepped towards the edge of the roof, still remaining hidden to any onlookers but allowing Error to see him more clearly. “Have you seen any of the others yet?” Error shook his head as he came to stand beside the taller. A silence settled across the two as they simply waited, knowing the others would have to be more careful in order to reach them.

There was a reason that the small group of skeletons were hiding from the world’s prying eyes, and that was because they weren’t normal monsters. Nightmare and his crew were a rare subspecies of monster known as a daemon. Daemons were stronger than typical monsters, possessing both a monster form and daemon form. Error was currently in his monster form to avoid drawing attention to himself, and Nightmare was in his daemon form simply because he preferred it.

A daemon form could usually be described as a hybrid between their monster form and an animal of some sort. The animal part of a daemon’s form often dictated aspects of a daemon’s personality and abilities. Nightmare’s daemon form, for example, was an octopus. It’s what created both the tentacles sprouting from his back and the inky goop that covered him. His monster form was noticeably smaller and less conspicuous, but Nightmare despised how weak he felt in that form. Thankfully, his daemon form came with the ability camouflage, so Nightmare could usually sneak about undetected despite his extra appendages.

Error, while being not as strong as Nightmare in his daemon form, had the distinct advantage of being capable of partially transforming. His daemon form was a spider, though he was often disgusted by the full extent of that form. Instead, he would call forth his strings, which were really made of his own spider silk and infused with his magic to be nearly unbreakable, or produce an extra set of arms if a situation required it. Other than that, he preferred to stay in his monster form. Error knew that his full daemon form was significantly more powerful, but he would never use it unless he absolutely had to.

The peaceful silence of the roof was soon broken by someone whooping and hollering. Both skeletons peered over the edge to see one of their own scaling the side of the building, not taking much care to conceal himself. The blue hoodie they wore did nothing to help the other two identify them, as three members of their group all practically dressed the same. It had been convenient at the time they’d stole the clothes, yet now it was more of a nuisance than anything. Nightmare added get everyone new clothes to the mental list of things he would do while here. As the skeleton climbing up the building got a bit closer, a bright tuft of orange fur could be seen wiggling behind them, which alerted both the other two. That idiot was in his daemon form and not even bothering to hide it!

Thankfully it wasn’t long until the skeleton flipped himself over to land in a one handed handstand in front of the other two, his red and blue eyes sparkling with a desire for praise. Instead, a black tentacle wrapped itself around a long orange tail and pulled. The childish skeleton yelped, being dragged into the air and left hanging. “Dust, you are such an idiot! What would you have done if someone saw a skeleton monkey scaling a skyscraper?!”

Dust thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Start screaming ‘King Kong’?” Unamused, the goopy skeleton flicked his tentacle, releasing Dust as he sent him flying back towards the middle of the roof. The monkey twisted in midair, angling his hands to catch himself before springing up and onto his feet. “Ta da!” He waved his hands about as he looked at the other two. Nightmare simply showed no signs of paying attention while Error scoffed and turned his back on the younger one.

Not getting the desired response, Dust frowned before looking about the barren piece of flat concrete. He wandered over to a small enclosure on the roof, likely housing a compressor or something similar, before climbing up to the top. Seeing none of the others there yet, he simply sat there with a bored expression, his tail flicking about.

Every member of the group had come to begrudgingly accept Dust’s childish nature, given that he was in fact the youngest in their group and his monkey side didn’t help things. He hadn’t bothered to change back, still sporting his hand-like feet and long tail. The same soft orange fur that covered his tail was present on the tops of his hands and feet when he was transformed. A bit of the orange fluff could also be seen around his spine and the edges of his skull to complete the look.

The monkey daemon had been able to easily scale the side of the building due to the perks of his form. The same could not be said for the next arrival, who pulled himself over the edge of the roof with a bloodstained axe, breathing heavily. This skeleton wore a similar set of clothes to Dust, though there were multiple dark red stains that had never been washed out of the fabric. Ignoring the stains, the most noticeable features he possessed were a blood red left eye light and a large chunk missing from his skull.

Dust was the first to notice his companion’s arrival, waving energetically to the skeleton who was still on the ground trying to catch his breath. “Heya Horror! Nice to see ya made it! How ya doin’ buddy?” The only response Horror had the energy to give was the middle finger.

Not having the energy to walk, Horror decided to take advantage of his other form and began to change. His legs were quickly covered in dark green scales before merging together, creating a long, serpentine tail in their place. His heavy breathing slowly came out as a hissing noise, signalling his completed transformation into his snake form.

He lazily slithered over closer to the others, keeping his distance from Dust as he really didn’t feel like getting tackled by the energetic monkey. Horror offered a silent greeting to the others, enjoying the chance to catch his breath as he returned his trusty axe to its resting place on his back. In terms of physical strength, Horror could beat all of the others in both forms, but he was pretty lacking when it came to magic or some of the abilities the other daemons possessed. As such, he always had his axe on hand for situations where brute strength wasn’t quite enough, like scaling a skyscraper.

Next up was another skeleton possessing a bright red eye light, though thankfully not the same outfit as the last two. A black hoodie rimmed with white fluff around the hood was over his red sweater, black track pants with a gold stripe running down each leg completed the outfit. They had climbed up in a similar manner to Horror, yet he barely showed a fraction of the fatigue that his serpentine friend did. It was one of the perks of his form, a mountain cat daemon, which allowed him to climb most things with relative ease.

Upon reaching the top the feline skeleton stretched out similar to a house cat. He smirked up at Horror who was still breathing fairly heavy. “Wow, the fatass snake beat me? Heh, didn’t expect your slow ass to get here till sunrise.”

“Oh, piss off and go get stuck up a tree again, Fell.” Fell didn’t seem too impressed with his friend’s retort, muttering “one time” under his breath before stalking over to the other side of the building.

Not wanting to stay on all fours, Fell quickly abandoned his current form. The tawny fur that covered his body in a similar fashion to Dust’s practically melted off of him, his tail receding and his clawed appendages returning to his regular hands and feet. The only remaining feline aspect to him was his sharp teeth, yet those seemed to be a staple of his monster form as well, the single gold tooth he possessed glinting in the low light.

A bit of time passed before another skeleton in a blue hoodie hopped over the edge to where the other skeletons were. What set him apart from Dust and Horror were his empty eye sockets that seemed to leak some strange black substance, and the glowing red target-like symbol on his chest.

“Killer!!!” Dust was hopping from one foot to the other on his perch, waving both arms around like crazy to get his best friend’s attention.

The second Killer spotted his friend he hopped over and jumped up to land beside the fidgeting monkey with a huge grin on his face. He was literally hopping everywhere, due to the fact that his daemon form was that of a frog. A black pseudo-flesh covered his arms and legs, capable of producing mucous with various effects. The effects ranged from harmless or sticky to hallucinogenic or lethal, and Killer had nearly complete control over the production of these various substances. The only place he seemed to lack control was his eye sockets, where black goop perpetually streaked down his face. The substance was usually harmless, as Killer didn’t want to accidentally hurt someone if they touched his face.

Killer had made use of a sticky mucous, as well as the sticky surfaces at the ends of his fingers and toes, to stick to the side of the building and climb with relative ease. His climb had probably been the quickest and easiest out of all of them, save for maybe Error or Nightmare. Once he was situated next to Dust, his arms and legs reverted to normal as the two fist bumped with large grins. Despite their energy, the two of them kept silent, especially after the glares Dust received from his loud outburst. Almost all of them were here now. The only one missing was…

“Looks like we’re all here.” A deep voice came from behind Dust and Killer, startling both of them off of their perch with a screech. The two skeletons untangled themselves from the pile they landed in, ignoring the laughter coming from behind them and instead glaring up at the source of the voice.

“Fucking shit! I swear to god you’re trying to give us a heart attack Reaper!” Killer cursed, his gaze meeting the equally empty sockets of Reaper. The final member of their group could barely be seen in the dark thanks to the jet black cloak that he always wore, yet his wide smirk was clearly visible. Fell and Horror were laughing still their asses off, while Error seemed unimpressed and Nightmare looked annoyed.

Reaper slowly descended, his feathery black wings practically shimmering as they caught some of the light from the city below. The sound of his talons clicking against the hard concrete beneath them echoed across the roof, giving the raven daemon a much more sinister atmosphere. It didn’t help that Reaper was by far the strongest of their group, even more powerful than Nightmare or Error. The only reason he wasn’t the one in charge was because he was simply too lazy, not wanting the responsibilities involved.

Because of Reaper’s disinterest in leading, the job fell to Nightmare as he was the one who brought the seven daemons together in the first place. Error often served as second in command since he was the smartest, coming up with plans and strategies that had kept all of them alive so far. Reaper and Horror were the group’s heavy hitters, being the strongest in terms of magic and raw strength respectively. Dust was the fastest and the most agile, so he often acted as the group’s scout. The wide variety of substances Killer could produce made him a bit of a wild card that Error was quick to take advantage of. And then there was Fell, who wasn’t the strongest in any one category but had no obvious weaknesses as well, making him capable of performing nearly any task required.

These distinct roles had become a necessity. It was what kept the group alive despite the numerous hunters that had tried to kill them over the years. When everyone knew their job, it was far easier to be in control of a situation, allowing them to stay one step ahead of those pursuing them. Which made most them wonder why the hell they’d come to the city. The group often made a point of avoiding heavily populated areas, as less people meant less potential enemies and less sets of eyes that might notice they weren’t normal. Yet nobody dared to ask the question that was on all of their minds.

Even Nightmare couldn’t conceal his uncertainty, making it clear to the others that this wasn’t his idea. After all, Nightmare hated his monster form, so going out in public was something he tried to avoid. Easier said than done when surrounded by millions of people. Reaper seemed to be the only one unfazed by their surroundings, confidently striding up to the edge of the building to look out over the lively city below.

“Yeah, we’re all here now, so wanna tell us why you suggested we do the one thing I said we should _never_ do?” Error’s glitched voice betrayed his frustration as he spoke to the skeleton dressed in black before him.

“Because,” Reaper looked back over at the collection of daemons behind them, smirking as he continued. “ _They’re here._ ”

“They?” Horror spoke up, moving a bit closer along with everyone else. “You mean, your soulmate?”

Reaper practically spun around, spreading his arms and wings out as an almost giddy expression danced across his face. “Not just mine, I can feel them. _All_ of them. Somewhere hidden within this city, all of our soulmates are hiding, just waiting for us to find them!”

The other daemons could hardly believe Reaper’s energetic proclamation. All daemons had a soulmate, a single being that their souls were unexplainably connected to. A daemon’s life felt hollow and empty until they managed to find that person, the one person destined to accept them. As a result, most daemons made it a mission in their life to find and protect that individual, no matter the risks involved. There were more complicated aspects to the concept, but most of them would only present themselves once a daemon had managed to find and connect with their soulmate, which is something the seven skeletons had yet to do.

The group had been relying heavily on Reaper to have any chance of finding any of their soulmates, as his magic was strong enough to sense the invisible bonds that connected them. While he wouldn’t be able to find their exact location, Reaper would be able to detect the general area where they lived. And apparently, this city contained all seven of them. Hope could be seen on all of their faces as each of them pondered what kind of person their soulmate was, all trying to envision a life that was more than just fleeing and survival.

Despite indulging himself in his own fantasies about his soulmate, Nightmare was the one to voice the group’s skepticism. “Are you serious? What are the odds of all seven of our soulmates living in the same area?”

“Well, it is a pretty big city, and there are a lot of people.” Killer piped up, but instantly shrunk back as Nightmare’s cold glare was directed at him.

Their leader turned back to the raven daemon, who nodded his confirmation of Nightmare’s questions. “Well if that’s the case, I guess we’ll be staying here for a while.”

“We don’t have to move right away?” Fell seemed apprehensive, seeing as how their little group had never spent more than a month in an area.

“I don’t like this, what about the hunters?” Error tried to bring logic into the equation, but it seemed like nothing could kill Reaper’s good mood as he danced along the edge of the rooftop.

“Oh please, you never like anything. And besides, I’m pretty sure if we can’t hide from a few hunters among millions of people, then we can simply get rid of them.” Reaper made of point of flashing the scythe that was usually concealed under his cloak, sending a devious look to Horror who gladly returned it.

Dust was starting to get just as excited. “Yeah! We can’t afford to pass this up if they’re really out there! I can’t wait to meet them!” Killer and Dust were practically dancing as the older skeletons tried to weigh the risks involved.

Nightmare sighed as he took all the details into consideration. “As much as I never thought I’d say this, Dust is right. We should find our soulmates as soon as we can, before any hunters have a chance to notice our presence here. Besides, I do have a brother in this city who should be able to help provide a safe place for us to stay. I can get in contact with him in the morning.”

“A brother? Blood or bound?” Error questioned. Daemons had two types of brothers. Blood brothers were biologically related and could be either a daemon or a normal monster, whereas bound brothers were what the group of skeletons were. While not related to each other, they had all forged a literal bond with the souls of each member of their group, creating a relationship that went beyond mere friendship. This bond could be used to call for help if any of them were ever in trouble, and would alert the others if one of them died. It also made living together a lot easier, making the group into a sort of family.

“Blood. He’s a normal monster but he knows all about our kind, so we’ll be able to trust him.” Error seemed to deem the answer satisfactory, finally giving in to the excitement the others were feeling. Nightmare looked out over the city as the other skeletons celebrated the chance of finding their soulmates, a wistful expression on his face. “Looks like I’m coming home, Dreamy.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've met the daemons, a nomadic group of wandering monsters in search of their soulmates. Now let's take a look at who those soulmates will be :)
> 
> All college experiences will be based off of my own time in college in Canada for any of you with different systems.

The college food court was full of bustling students as always, each trying to quickly grab a bite to eat between classes. Everyone was looking around for either an empty table or the table their friends had managed to grab, which is exactly what a particular skeleton was currently doing. The short student dressed mostly in gold and black tones, blending well with the gold of his eye lights. Black pants and shirt helped to make the pale yellow jacket he wore overtop more striking, the edges of the jacket trimmed in a bluish green. He wore a matching set of golden shoes and gloves, both having the same accent colour as the jacket. Black sleeves extended from the gloves to about halfway up his upper arm, and a bright blue belt held the jacket closed. A golden crown sat on his skull, giving him an almost regal look as the tails of his star covered scarf fluttered behind him.

He was wandering about until a bright blue glove could be seen waving frantically. "Dream!" The sound of his name being called helped direct the golden skeleton. As Dream pushed his way through the crowd he came upon four of his friends, all skeletons, crowded around a single table.

First was Blue, an energetic little skeleton dressed in his namesake. Blue bandanna, blue gloves, blue boots, dark blue pants; the only thing not really blue was his grey t-shirt. Even that was accented along the edges in bright blue. His starry blue eye lights seemed to somehow get even bigger as Dream approached.

Beside him was Ink, a very artistic skeleton who somehow always had a bit of black paint smudged along the corner of his jaw. His mismatched eye lights, one a blue circle and the other a yellow star, followed Dream as he came to sit next to the artist. Ink's outfit consisted of chocolate brown leggings with a pair of beige shorts on over top. A simple white shirt was hidden beneath a brown sweater, with his baby blue hoodie that he always had but never seemed to wear tied around his waist. A beige scarf splattered with old paint stains was wrapped around his neck, the faded tail almost reaching the floor from his sitting position. The last thing that Ink always seemed to have on him was a satchel full of random art supplies, so that he was always prepared should a sudden wave of inspiration strike.

On the other side of the table was Sci, by far one of the smartest people Dream had ever met. Compared to Ink's creative outfit, Sci's was far simpler. He wore a blue turtleneck sweater and dark slacks, accompanied by the lab coat he often wore since he was in and out of his lab constantly. Sci waved a greeting to Dream, pushing his glasses back up his nose with his free hand.

Sitting next to Sci, and the last skeleton at the table, was Lust. The tallest one of them there was... confident, in how he dressed. A black crop top with a neon blue heart on it left the base of his spine in full view. The peaks of his hip bones were also poking out from his black skinny jeans. He also wore bright blue knee high boots and black fingerless gloves. Out of everything, his sleeveless jacket probably stood out the most. The fabric was bright purple, the same colour as his heart shaped eye lights, and the edges were rimmed with neon blue fur. Needless to say, Lust's choice in fashion often drew attention to him, so it was a good thing he rarely seemed to mind.

"Glad you guys managed to snag a table, there's never any of them free by the time I get here." Dream began opening the wrapping on his sandwich as he made small talk, happy to see his friends.

"Be thankful that Blue here has enough energy to sprint from the education building every single day." Ink jerked a thumb in Blue's direction, who smiled with a mouthful of taco.

When he finished with his current bite, Blue's smile only got wider. "Of course! The magnificent Blue will always be here fast enough to save the best table! Mweh heh heh!"

"Anyways~" Lust leaned forward, his arms stretched out across the table towards Dream as he cut off Blue. "I have a dance recital coming up in a couple weeks for one of my classes. It'll be one of the biggest productions all year, so I'd love it if my adoring fans would all come to cheer me on!" In one of his outstretched hands was a ticket to the event.

Dream eagerly snatched up the ticket, his eyes practically sparkling. "Of course! I wouldn't _dream_ of missing it!" Everyone chuckled at his pun, including Blue who nearly choked on his taco while doing so.

While Ink helped Blue breathe, Sci continued the conversation. "Are you sure about that Dream? You wouldn't miss it like you didn't miss handing in your assignment last week? Or how you nearly went out the door the other day without pants on? Or how..."

"Okay I get it! I'm forgetful, so what?" Dream pouted as his friend chuckled, a little annoyed that his inability to remember things was being brought up right now. He couldn't help it, some things just ended up slipping through the cracks. "But there's a date on the ticket, and you guys are all going, so I won't forget!"

"Like you didn't forget the important thing you're supposed to be doing right now?" A deep voice right behind him made Dream jump, his soul beginning to pound as a light yellow blush started to form on his cheekbones. He turned around to see a skeleton dressed in white and black. White shoes, white belt, and black pants, all accented with white X's. He was wearing his black turtleneck that had a habit of covering the bottom of his face, as well as his white short sleeved hoodie with white floof surrounding the hood. There were only three things of any colour on him; his red right eye light, the red zigzag scar under said eye, and the golden heart locket he always wore around his neck.

It was Cross, one of his other friends and the guy he'd secretly had a crush on for the past year, gazing down at Dream with a look of disappointment on his face. Wait, he was forgetting something right now? The golden skeleton completely forgot to be flustered by the other's presence, instead trying to recall whatever Cross meant. What was it? Dream dove deep into thought, his eyebrows knitting together in concentration as he tried to figure out what he could possibly be forgetting. When nothing came to mind, he looked back up at Cross with a sheepish expression. "You're kidding right? How could you seriously forget this? I even reminded you this morning!" A shrug indicated he had no idea what his black and white friend was talking about.

Cross sat down at one of the empty seats, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. "It's the 27th today Dream, what does that mean?" He looked up, only to facepalm as he saw the golden skeleton's blank expression. "Dream, Geno was discharged from the hospital fifteen minutes ago. You were supposed to be there to pick him up, remember now?"

The entire table watched in silence as Dream processed this information before, "Oh my god I forgot Geno!" Everyone joined Cross in facepalming as Dream frantically began to shovel food into his mouth while packing up his bag. In every friend group there was always that one friend that everyone loves and would drop everything to help out. For their little group, that was Geno. That just made the golden skeleton's ability to somehow forget about him even harder to believe.

"Seriously Dream?" Ink questioned. "I mean I know your memory is bad but this is a stretch even for you!"

Cross didn't even look up from his salad as he said, "Says the guy who'll stop in the middle of a sentence because he saw 'something beautiful'." Ink was about halfway through a retort when a bird flew past a nearby window, causing Ink to become fixated on it and only prove Cross' point.

"Oh hey, since you're going to see Geno, mind giving him his ticket?" Lust produced another ticket to the dance recital, which Dream ripped from Lust's hands and frantically shoved into his bag. With everything packed and his lunch mostly eaten, Dream waved goodbye to his friends as he bolted to the parkade where his car was parked.

It took him about half an hour to get to the hospital, and that was with Dream pushing the boundaries of how many traffic laws he could safely get away with breaking without getting pulled over. He quickly parked in the closest empty parking spot to the door that he could find, before practically bursting through the front doors of the hospital. Everyone seemed startled by his sudden appearance, with a nurse going up to the heavily breathing skeleton to ask if he was okay.

"Dream?" A familiar voice cut through the nurse's panicked questions as the student snapped his head up to find the source. There, sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of the lobby, was a familiar skeleton. He was wearing black basketball shorts and a simple white shirt and hoodie. The blood red scarf he always wore was really the only splash of colour in the outfit, helping to draw attention away from the perpetual glitch cloud covering his right eye.

The red and white skeleton had a kind smile on his face as he wheeled over, only for Dream to nearly tackle him in his rush to get to his friend. "Geno! I'm so sorry for being late! I-" He was cut off as the nurse from earlier shushed him, reminding him that he was in a hospital. Geno couldn't help but laugh at his friend's reaction while Dream sheepishly walked behind Geno and slowly started to push him out the front door.

"Let me guess, Cross had to remind you again?" Geno smirked back at his friend.

"I'm reaaalllly sorry, Geno. Please let me make it up to you!"

Geno couldn't help but burst out laughing again at his friend's constant apologies. "It's okay Dream, really. You weren't even an hour late this time! But if it'll make you feel better, how about you make it up to me by taking me to the park? I'd love to get some fresh air before I'm stuck at home trying to get caught up on all the work I missed." The golden skeleton was practically skipping at the suggestion. Dream loved nature and would take any chance he could to get outside. The fact that Geno wanted to go to the park just made him almost forget why he was upset.

With practiced movements Dream helped Geno stand up from the chair and step into the passenger seat, before folding up the wheelchair and sliding it into the back. Geno wasn't paralyzed or anything like that, he just often didn't have enough strength to stand on his own. The doctor usually made him stay in a wheelchair until he got his strength back, which usually took around at least a week. Dream, being the only one in their group with a vehicle, was always the one responsible for helping Geno move around whenever he was stuck in the chair. Unfortunately for Geno, his poor health meant he was constantly in and out of the hospital, meaning he was stuck in the chair more often than not.

Despite everything the frail skeleton never seemed to mind his situation. He was always one of the more optimistic friends Dream had, except for maybe Blue and Dream himself. Geno would always try to help the others out in any way he could, and he always made a point of somehow making it to every important events his friends had, even if all of them were yelling at him to go home and rest. Honestly, Dream couldn't think of a better friend, which made him wonder how he could possibly forget to pick him up. Again.

_You're so pathetic, you can't even remember to help out one of your best friends when he needs you._

_He probably hates you, he's just too nice to tell you._

_Why stop at Geno? All your friends probably hate you. After all, they're constantly having to remind you about everything. I mean, did you see how they all reacted today at lunch?_

_There's no way in hell that Cross likes you..._

The negative thoughts were swirling in his mind, eating away at him as he tried desperately to push them away. The sound of Geno's voice calling to him finally managed to snap him out of it as he looked over to see his friend's face filled with worry.

"You okay there bud? I've been calling to you for about a minute now. _Please_ don't space out while you're driving, I don't exactly want to go back to the hospital right away." Geno chuckled a bit, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

The other skeleton shook his head, chasing away the dark thoughts as he put on the best smile he could manage. "Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I just got a lot on my mind." The frail skeleton didn't seem completely convinced though, as a look of concern flashed across his face. That said, he did get Dream's hint to drop it. The rest of the drive was filled with small talk, neither one touching on the big subjects of either their classes or their health. They both had their issues academically; with Dream's forgetfulness he often forgot assignments or major due dates, and Geno was constantly scrambling to get caught up on the work he missed. When it came to health, the glitching was the most obvious of a large collection of things wrong with his friend, while the golden skeleton tried his best to hide just how badly he was struggling mentally behind a bright smile.

Dream knew Geno was smart, and not in the same way Sci was. While Sci had perfect scores in all his classes, Geno was smart in a more practical way. He could figure out almost anything, or anyone, if given enough time to do so. He'd been the first one to clue into Sci's huge problem with anxiety, and was also first to figure out that Lust was getting bullied. Geno had then proceeded to help both with their problems, and while he had been successful, his health had suffered because of it. Dream knew that it was only a matter of time until his clever friend figured out the truth behind his silence, but he didn't want to cause anyone trouble, especially not Geno. The red and white skeleton beside him had enough to deal with between his fragile health and his coursework. He certainly didn't need Dream's problems on top of that.

The lighthearted conversation continued as Dream pushed Geno through a nearby park, both enjoying the gentle autumn breeze. They kept going until they found an empty bench next to a small pond, allowing Dream to sit down next to Geno.

"Wow, it's really empty here right now, I'm surprised there's not more people. Normally we wouldn't be able to find anywhere to sit." Geno looked around, seeing barely anybody around the two skeletons.

"Well, I guess it is the middle of the day, most people probably just finished their lunch breaks and are going back to work or school."

Geno was silent for a moment, before realization dawned on his face. "Oh crap, you probably have class right now, I'm sorry!" His friend looked truly guilty, which only made Dream's gut twist from guilt as well.

"N-no, it's fine. Pretty sure I'm already done classes for today." Truth be told, he knew he had another class later, but it wasn't one he was really interested in going to. The notes were always posted online anyways, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if he "forgot" to go today.

Unfortunately, Geno saw through his friend's fib. "Dream, you are horrible at lying, you know that? And don't try to tell me you 'forgot'," he said, stressing the word "forgot" with air quotes.

"N-no, I-" He was cut off as his phone started ringing. Dream pulled it out, but didn't recognize the number. He showed it to Geno, but the other skeleton simply shrugged. Hesitantly, he answered the call. "H-hello?"

" _Heya Dreamy."_ The voice on the other line was painfully familiar, not even Dream would forget it. On top of that, only one person ever called him "Dreamy".

"N-Night?! Is that really you?!" The golden skeleton shot up, not even trying to control his volume anymore.

_"Jeez, stop shouting would ya? Pretty sure half the city can hear you!"_ He quickly apologized, but his brother brushed it off. _"Look, I need to ask you for a favor. My bros and I will be in the city for the next while and we need a place to stay. You still got that stupidly large house mom and dad left ya?"_

"Y-yeah, I do. But wait, what are you doing here? I thought it was too dangerous for you to stay..." He drifted off, clearly remembering the note that his brother had left as his only form of goodbye.

_"Look, something's come up, so are you gonna help me or not?"_

Dream was torn. On one hand, he was already out here with Geno, who really shouldn't be left on his own especially after just leaving the hospital. But this was a chance to reconnect with his twin brother, someone he'd missed for years now and thought he'd never see again.

A cough to his right startled Dream back to reality. Looking over, he saw Geno hinting that he wanted to say something. "C-can you hold on one second?" He stuttered into the phone, not waiting to hear his brother's answer. He fully turned himself towards his friend, showing him that he had his full attention.

"Would that happen to be the same 'Night' that's your twin brother that you haven't seen in years?" Dream nodded numbly, feeling tears beginning to well up in his eye sockets. Yet Geno's warm smile helped to push them back. "Then you should go see him, don't worry about me."

"You sure? I mean, I did say I would take you home from the hospital, and your apartment is at least a half hour drive away."

"And it's directly on a major bus route," he said, flashing his student ID with the transit pass sticker on it. "There are some benefits to being a student you know, and everyone always moves out of the way of the wheelchair." Dream went to protest again, feeling guilt gnawing at him, but the red and white skeleton quickly shot him down. "I'll be fine Dream, just go. I'll even promise to phone Cross if I get too tired, happy?"

This time Dream couldn't hold back the tears as he thanked his friend before running off. "Okay Night, I'm on my way, where do you want to meet?"


	3. Chapter 3

Error didn't like this.

They were too exposed, too out in the open. His fears weren't helped by the fact that Nightmare was still refusing to drop his daemon form. What if someone saw them? What if a _hunter_ saw them? The glitched skeleton paced back and forth, clenching and unclenching his fists as he waited for their leader's brother to show up. Why did they have to meet in a park of all places? Sure, they were towards the outskirts and hidden in the shadows of a cluster of trees, but all it would take is one person sticking their nose where they shouldn't and they'd be found.

The only reason they'd chosen to meet him here is because Nightmare's brother had said he was already there, and it was conveniently close to where they had been when they called, so Nightmare had decided to meet there.

"Would you stop that? If you keep pacing like that I'm going to have to strangle you!" Nightmare glared at him from the shadows, his powers allowing him to practically melt into the surrounding darkness. A single blue eye was the only indication of his presence.

"Honestly, if you're worried about someone noticing us, all they're going to see is some crazy skeleton walking back and forth talking to himself." Reaper appeared from the shadows right behind Error, his smug grin never leaving his face as his sudden voice startled the other.

Error glared over his shoulder, his face twisted into a perpetual frown. "Do you ever stop being creepy?"

"What can I say? It's one of my many charms." The taller skeleton did a mock bow before smirking up at his friend. "Just like how one of yours is being perpetually paranoid and grouchy."

Error went to retort until Nightmare's icy voice cut him off. "Four tentacles, two skeletons. You do the math. Now shut up and watch out for my brother." The two gave each other hesitant looks, remaining silent as neither really wanted to incur their leader's wrath. Each resumed their initial positions, on the lookout for a skeleton bearing a vague resemblance to Nightmare.

Reaper was the first to spot him and point him out. "So, does your twin look like you, except mixed with a miniature sun?" The only response was the movement of a shadowy figure towards the edge of the treeline. The small skeleton that Reaper had pointed out was running quickly in their direction, his eyes scanning the trees, clearly looking for them. Just before he was about to run past their hiding place, two black tentacles darted out and wrapped around him. One grabbed him by the waist, the other wrapping around his mouth to stifle his inevitable scream.

The two other skeletons watched the brotherly reunion with mild curiosity, neither having blood brothers of their own. Despite being twins, Dream was the exact opposite of his brother, immediately bringing the goopy skeleton into a hug when he calmed down from his initial panic. Nightmare looked completely uncomfortable as he tried to calm the crying skeleton down, clearly having no idea on how to deal with the situation.

Nightmare noticed as the two started snickering at his predicament. He sent a scowl their way, raising his tentacles as if to spear right through them. Both got the hint and quickly left the two brothers alone, wandering out into the park.

The more paranoid of the two kept looking over his shoulder at every sound, while Reaper seemed to not have a care in the world. "Dude seriously, relax. No one, not even a hunter, would dare try something in a place like this. Too many eyes that would only see two innocent skeletons getting attacked by some freak." Error shot him an 'are you serious' look, but the other only shrugged his shoulders. "We don't even stand out that bad, both of us look pretty normal right now."

It was true for the most part. They'd all changed their clothes to blend in better. Most of them needed modified clothes to accommodate their daemon form. For Reaper, that meant no shoes or gloves, as his talons often made quick work of them, and his loose cloak didn't restrict the movement of his wings. Reaper hand abandoned his signature look for a jet black hoodie and a pair of ripped jeans. He was even wearing sneakers and walking for once instead of flying right above the ground. Since Error rarely used his daemon form he hadn't needed the same modified clothing that the others had. He'd stuck with his outfit for the most part, only updating his sweater and pants to look a little less ragged.

"How is it that your idea of normal still makes you look like some wannabe emo death lord?" Error shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to force himself to relax and not draw attention to himself. As much as he hated to admit it, Reaper was right. Stressing out was only going to draw more attention to them.

"Better that than some wannabe hobo." Error's scowl deepened at the comment, earning a laugh from his companion as they continued down the path.

He was about to fire off an insult in response, only to turn and notice Reaper had stopped moving. His mouth was slightly agape as he stared off into space, seemingly in a trance. Just as the glitched skeleton was about to ask if he was okay, his counterpart's grin returned and he bolted down the pathway, not even bothering to wait for Error to follow.

As he struggled to catch up, Error called out, "What the hell?! Since when do you run?!" His lack of a response started to worry Error, his tone reflecting this. "What's got into you all of a sudden?"

"I can feel them, my soulmate! They're close!" Reaper's pace seemed to quicken and his grin somehow got even wider as he raced towards something only he was aware of. Not wanting to potentially lose the other skeleton, Error chased after him.

The pair booked it across to the other side of the park, only to stop as they came face to face with the street at the end. Reaper was looking around frantically, while Error had collapsed against a nearby tree, struggling to catch his breath. The glitched skeleton watched the other go running off in some random direction, but he was too tired to care less. Error never thought he'd appreciate how lazy Reaper normally was, now realizing how fast the guy could run if he was motivated.

A few moments passed where the only thing Error was aware of was the sound of his own labored breathing. That was, until he felt a sharp tug at his soul, like there was one of his strings tied around it, pulling him away from his current resting spot. He groaned as he slowly got to his feet, only to feel his fatigue melt away as the sensation grew stronger. He was only vaguely aware of the direction he was going as he blindly followed the feeling, the sensation growing stronger with every passing moment.

He only stopped when he felt the invisible force try to pull him across the road, having just enough control to fight this unexplainable urge. Instead he followed the force with his eyes, trying to pinpoint its origin. Time seemed to practically slow down around him as his gaze landed on a petite skeleton. Their long scarf billowed behind them gracefully, the beige fabric fluttering in the light breeze. Their slender frame moved across the nearby crosswalk, mismatched eyes seemingly lost in thought. God, those eyes... Error felt himself become entranced by their beauty. Their blue right eye seemed deeper than any ocean, and the starry left one seemed to glow brighter than all the stars in the sky.

Without thinking his feet moved closer to this stranger, almost as if his body was being drawn towards them. This feeling in his soul was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It only grew stronger when the other skeleton looked up, their eyes connecting across the way. Both stopped moving, doing nothing but staring at the other with their mouths slightly agape. The passage of time was a foreign concept at this point, all that mattered was _them_. Could they be...?

Error didn't get a chance to finish his thought as the sound of a horn dragged him back to reality. Both skeletons turned to the direction it came from, only to freeze in horror as a vehicle could be seen skidding down the roadway. The vehicle was sliding uncontrollably, heading straight for the skeleton currently stopped in the middle of the road. Error went to scream at them to run, but all words he might've yelled were caught in his throat as he watched helplessly from the sidelines.

Or, maybe he wasn't so helpless. He could barely process what he was doing, his body seemingly acting on its own without conscious thought. Blue strings shot out from his one hand, wrapping around the frozen skeleton as the car inched ever closer. Error yanked his arm back, the strings going taut and ripping their target out of the speeding vehicle's path mere seconds before collision.

The sound of the driver's horn faded into the distance as Error's arms caught the skeleton flying towards him, wrapping around their shaking frame protectively. Only when he was certain the danger was gone did the taller skeleton realize he was practically hyperventilating and shaking as much as the stranger in his arms. A few silent moments passed as both tried to get their breathing under control, the smaller of the two clinging to his saviour. Some random pedestrians came to ask if they were okay, to which Error would numbly nod his head and shoo them away.

In the back of his mind, Error could vaguely register the thought that being touched was bad, that he should let go. Yet another part of him was screaming at him how right this was, how he should never let go. The other made no effort to pull away, their forehead resting against his chest, and Error certainly wasn't going to ruin the moment.

Unfortunately, Reaper did it for him. The sudden appearance of his friend behind him caused both skeletons to jump, hastily pushing apart from each other in embarrassment. The skeleton in black simply looked between his blushing companion and the shy newcomer, a wide smirk dawning on his face as he gave Error a light shove forward. He stumbled a bit at the sudden motion, but caught himself before he could have even more reasons to be embarrassed.

"Um... A-are you ok-kay?" His glitching voice trembled slightly, lacking the confidence it normally held.

The other's voice wobbled as well as they replied. "Y-yeah, I think s-so. T-thanks... um..."

"E-Error." His hand quickly shot out, the other rubbing the back of his skull.

"I-Ink." They tentatively reached out, briskly shaking the outstretched hand before them. Awkward silence filled the gap between the two, neither seeming sure what to do. "W-well, I should p-probably go. I t-think my friends m-might start getting wo-worried if I take too m-much longer. It was n-nice meeting you. Oh, and t-thanks again... for...um..." The small skeleton's words died out, an uncomfortable silence overtaking the two again. They turned to leave with a small wave, making a voice in Error's mind scream at him to stop them, to do something other than stand there and look like a complete fool. Noticing his friend's struggle, Reaper intervened.

"Aw, leaving so soon?" He cooed, his voice halting the other skeleton in his tracks. Reaper waited for Ink to turn around as he wrapped an arm around Error's shoulders, who was currently too stunned to shake him off. The look of confusion he received from the pair spurred him on. "And after my friend here saved your life, tsk. Shouldn't he get some kind of reward?" Error went to butt in and shut him up, but Reaper spoke up again before he could. "You know what? I know the perfect thing! How about a date?"

Both skeletons froze at his suggestion, their faces exploding in blush and both stuttering protest, all the while the tall skeleton merely grinned at the ensuing chaos, watching his plan unfold.

"Dammit Reaper, get the hell off me!" Error finally regained his senses enough to shove the cocky bastard off of him, before his focus returned to Ink. His face was still covered in an adorable rainbow blush as he tried his hardest not to look at the glitched skeleton before him. Swallowing his fears, Error succeeded as he tried his hardest to speak without stuttering. "Just ignore that idiot, you don't have to go out with me just because you feel like you owe me something. Though, I have to say I wouldn't be opposed to the idea." His face practically felt like it was on fire. It was taking every ounce of courage he had to not bury his face in his scarf and run off. God, he'd rather be anywhere right now instead of stuck in this uncomfortable conversation. He'd even take dealing with hunters over this.

Ink didn't seem to be faring much better, especially after his last sentence. The smaller skeleton tried desperately to formulate his thoughts into words, though his nerves were clearly getting to him. "I m-mean... w-well... I...y-you did s-save me... and I..." He gave up looking at the other, instead finding his shoes suddenly very interesting.

Error felt a light tap on his shoulder, turning his head in annoyance to see Reaper shaking his cell phone and mouthing the word 'number'. Once it clicked, Error quickly tried to salvage the awkward situation. "How about your number then?" A set of mismatched eyes darted up to meet his, causing Error's soul to beat faster as he began stumbling over his words again. "I-I mean, t-that way there's n-no real commitment, right? I-if you decide y-you don't want to h-hear from me, a-all you do is b-block the number and poof, gone!" As he said the word 'poof' he unconsciously made a poofing gesture with his hands. Once he realized he began mentally cursing himself for his stupidity, until a beautiful laugh snapped him out of it.

"Um... sure, I guess that isn't that bad of an idea. Here, give me your phone." He wordlessly handed the device over as Ink quickly added a new contact. Once it was in, he sent a quick message saying 'hi' so that Ink would have his number as well. "Well, it really was nice to meet you, look forward to hearing from you!" He waved the phone as he sped off down the sidewalk, leaving Error grinning like an idiot and waving at his retreating form.

He didn't stop looking until Reaper placed his hand on the other's shoulder, snapping him out of his trance as he jumped from the sudden contact. "Come on dude, we should probably go. Pretty sure Nightmare thinks we're dead right now."

Error took a moment to process what just happened as Reaper led him back through the park, following the way they originally came. He mentally replayed the conversation, only for the yellow on his cheeks to continue growing more opaque. "Oh my god, that was so awkward!" He groaned, rubbing both of his hands against his face as if he could wipe away his embarrassment.

His friend merely chuckled at the reaction. "Yeah that was pretty bad. But hey, at least you did save it in the end. Managed to get your soulmate's number, congrats bro!"

That last part caused Error to stop completely in his tracks. He stared at his friend with a blank look on his face, before looking back the way they came. "You mean... they were... he was... I did... I have..." His brain was too muddled to even finish a single thought.

Reaper burst out laughing. "Yeah, that dude's your soulmate. Didn't you notice how your soul kept pulling you towards him? How you couldn't look away and just wanted to be close to him?" The glitched skeleton could only nod numbly in response. Everything suddenly made sense. They were meant to be! A giant smile formed as he felt hope overflowing from his soul. He would've turned around and run after him right there if his companion didn't stop him. "Easy there, tiger. Don't go chasing after him just yet. You got his number, just wait a couple days then use it. Or if he messages you faster, even better."

"B-but you just said we're soulmates!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he'll instantly be obsessed over you. Sure, he'll experience what others commonly refer to as 'love at first sight', but that'll only give him a desire to see you again and get to know you. You're gonna have to work for it a little bit if you want him to feel the same way." That definitely wasn't what he wanted to hear, his smile falling in response. "Aw come on, cheer up! The only reason you feel the way you do without even knowing him is because we have a much stronger connection to our souls compared to normal monsters. That way, the whole 'soulmates' thing is a lot stronger for us. Just give it a bit, I'm sure you two will be inseparable in no time!"

He looked up at his taller friend with a look of confusion. "Since when are you an expert at romance?"

Reaper shrugged. "I read a lot. Romance novels are surprisingly filled with a lot of good ideas, once you move past the often pretentious and cheesy plotlines."

Error wasn't quite sure what he should be feeling. All he knew was that the current focus on him was a bit overwhelming, so he felt it was time to shift gears in the conversation. "What about you? This all started because you felt your soulmate's presence and went running off after them. You get their number too?"

His friend's perpetual smirk vanished, clearly indicating that was not what happened. "Alas, the cruel machinations of fate intervened, thwarting my attempts to glimpse the face of my future beloved."

Reaper had a habit of becoming overly dramatic when things didn't go his way, making use of the fact that he read too much to suddenly sound like he was ripped from a bad modern play. "What?"

"They got on a bus and I wasn't fast enough."

Error snickered at the uncharacteristic lack of tone in his voice. "What, the mighty Reaper, giving up? You seemed so determined to catch them earlier."

"I can't run after a damn bus, Error!" he barked, causing the other to lose all restraint and burst out laughing while Reaper continued to grumble.

"There you two idiots are." Both stopped and looked down the path to see a rare sight. Somehow Dream had convinced his brother to abandon his beloved tentacles and finally appear in his monster form. When he was like this, the resemblance between the twins was unmistakable, the two looking like colour swapped versions of each other. Error had never really noticed just how much the inky coating he always had distorted the appearance underneath. Nightmare was noticeably shorter, though still taller than his twin brother. He possessed a golden crown similar in design to his brother's, though with a moon symbol on it instead. While his pants were the same dark colour as normal, he now had a purple shirt and boots, both accented in the same gold as his crown. Both of his eye lights were visible for once, the colour now a soft lavender instead of a harsh icy blue. With the sudden change in appearance, Error couldn't help but think that Nightmare actually looked somewhat adorable like this, though the scowl he still wore helped to remind the glitchy skeleton of just who that little skeleton really was. Nightmare must've noticed the two gawking, because he yelled at the two of them to move their asses as he trailed after his brother.

Error's thoughts were currently split between wondering about his soulmate and realizing that Nightmare could somehow be terrifying and cute at the same time. Reaper's thoughts on the other hand were on a completely different train as he stared intently at the golden skeleton happily chatting to their annoyed leader. Noticing this, the glitched skeleton elbowed the other for answers, watching his grin finally return.

They slowed their pace enough to ensure that the twins wouldn't hear their conversation before Reaper explained, slipping back into his more dramatic speech pattern. "Fate is a truly twisted woman indeed. I wonder how our dear leader will react when he learns of how her invisible threads have bound his dear brother."

Surprisingly, Error didn't need a translation for this. "You mean... Dream is the soulmate for one of us?" A quick nod was given in reply before he asked, "Who?"

"Ah, my dear friend. I am not the one to ask, for I am not the master of this little puppet show. I am merely an observant member of the audience. I see the strings that dance around us all, yet must accept the fact that I can do nothing more than sit back and enjoy this drama as it unfolds."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And to kick off the shipping we have the beginning of Errink! And then me being cruel to Reaper and taunting him with Geno >:)
> 
> I wonder who will be next...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was honestly just really fun to write and made me realize how much I love Lust.

Lust looked over in the mirror to the dress he was currently wearing, not quite sure if he really wanted to be seen in something so... _repulsive_. Sure he was confident when it came to his looks and sexuality, and it wouldn't be the first time he'd worn a dress in public. But the skeleton did have limits, and this frilly disaster was pushing them. Seriously, what woman would ever willingly buy a 'designer dress' that made a garbage bag look sexy? The dress was covered in white, frilly lace in a flowery pattern, which itself wasn't bad. It might've looked nice, if not paired with a green that made Lust immediately think of baby food and such an unflattering shape. Even with Lust being able to form an ectobody to try and perfectly match the dress, it still looked awful.

He peeked his head out from behind the curtain, only to see Ink not even paying attention. Lust had brought his artistic friend shopping with him as the colourful skeleton was an expert when it came to judging the appearance of something. Yet it seemed that bringing him along this time was pointless, as Ink had barely looked up from his phone all day.

Honestly, the taller skeleton wasn't surprised in the slightest. This had been a running theme for the past four or five days now. Anytime anyone asked what he was doing, if they were lucky enough to even get a response, they would get the same line of 'I'm just texting a friend'. This 'friend' had remained nameless despite everyone's efforts to get something out of the artist, but no luck. Judging though from the near permanent rainbow blush on his cheeks, Lust didn't have to think hard as to why Ink had been so distant and secretive.

Curious as to just how aware of his surroundings Ink currently was, Lust decided to see just how much he could get away with. He purposely modified the shape of his ectobody, somehow making the dress even more hideous. It's a good thing he wasn't easily embarrassed as he threw the curtain back with as much pride and flair as he could muster. Pretending to not notice how bad the abomination looked, Lust walked right in front of his shorter friend, displaying the dress and twirling to give him a full view.

"What do you think, Ink?" He giggled, trying not to gag on his next words. "I really think this one's a winner. I don't even care what the price tag is, it's perfect!"

The other skeleton barely glanced up from his phone. "Looks nice," he muttered in a monotone voice before blushing at whatever new message had popped up. Lust froze, shooting his friend an 'are you serious?' look. Not expecting any response, the taller simply stalked back to the changing room, desperate to rid himself of the hideous piece of fabric. After that disaster, Lust had lost all faith in the store's sense of fashion and decided to change back into his normal clothes. Though he still wanted to test how far Ink's current state of obliviousness really went.

As he changed, the taller skeleton began talking to the artist, praying for at least some response. Wanting to provoke some reaction, Lust just started blurting out the most ludicrous things he could think of.

"Did you hear that Sci actually failed his last midterm? From what I hear he completely bombed it!" _Yeah, the day Sci bombs a test is the day hell freezes over._

"That sucks." Ink's voice maintained its monotone nature.

"Also, Dream finally got the guts to ask Cross out the other day. Funny thing was Cross was secretly in love with him this whole time!" _Sorry Dream, but I know for a fact Cross doesn't see you that way._

"Good for him."

Damn, Lust thought for sure he'd get him with that one. Honestly, the only one who didn't know about Dream's horribly one-sided crush seemed to be Cross himself. The next idea that ended up popping into his head did make him hesitate though. This one was going to make him feel guilty, but it might be the only way to get anything more than a couple words out of his friend. He took a deep breath to calm any tremors in his voice before stepping out of the changing room.

"Blue just texted me that he rolled Geno off the side of a cliff. Said Geno's about as broken as Humpty Dumpty right now." Even thinking about it made Lust feel sick. _Come on, I know you care about Geno as much as I do, say something!_

"... Uh-huh." _That was barely even a response!_

Okay, enough is enough. "Dammit Ink! Would you look up from that stupid screen and listen to me?!"

The colourful skeleton ripped his head up in surprise, staring at the other with a look of confusion. "What are you talking about? I've been listening this whole time!"

The purple skeleton crossed his arms over his chest, clearly not impressed. "Oh you were listening were you? Then where do you think we should go to get some nice flowers for Geno's hospital room?"

That finally got a proper response. Instantly Ink was on his feet, his phone completely abandoned for the first time all week. "Wait, Geno's in the hospital?! Since when?! What happened?!" The artist's frantic questions came out as a high pitch screech, drawing the attention of anyone nearby.

Not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of a department store, Lust quickly clamped his hand over Ink's mouth, effectively stopping the ungodly sound he'd been making. "Yeah, Geno's been in the hospital as of thirty seconds ago, when I made it up to see if you were really listening to me!" He hissed. The taller waited for understanding to replace the panic in his friend's mismatched eyes before he dared take his hand away. Though he did make sure to take advantage of Ink's rare lack of focus on his phone to snatch the device currently lying beside him. When the artist showed no recognition of what the taller had just done, Lust stood up straight with a huff. "Come on, we're leaving."

"... But weren't you going to buy something?" Lust couldn't help but facepalm, dragging his hand down his face before pulling the small, confused skeleton out of the store.

The taller skeleton wasted no time in putting some distance between himself and that store. His mind was racing, yet no real thoughts managed to organize themselves. He'd almost completely forgotten about the smaller friend he was dragging behind him, until Ink's voice managed to cut through his cluttered thoughts. "Ow, ow, ow! Lust slow down! Your legs are way longer than mine, I can't keep up! Also your grip is hurting me!"

He finally realized that he'd been subconsciously tightening his hold on Ink's wrist and quickly let go. The pair finally stopped moving and stepped to the side of the mall pathway, allowing others to pass while Ink tried to catch his breath after practically running to keep up with Lust's long strides.

"Sorry about that Ink, guess I just got lost in my own thoughts and forgot what I was doing."

"I-It's alright, just... give me a second..." The artist leaned against the wall, only to quickly slide down to the floor panting. Lust stood next to his friend, leaning against the wall himself and watching Ink's hand slip into his pocket. The hand fished around for a second, before Ink's eye went wide. His hands began flying all over the place, checking every little pocket and crevice in his clothes. "Shit, shit, shit! Where is it?!" Ink's eyes flew up to meet Lust's, distress clearly visible in his features. "We have to go back! I must've left my phone back there!"

The purple skeleton merely smirked at his artistic friend's reaction. The shorter of the two shot to his feet and glowered at his friend's smug reaction, silently daring Lust to say what was so funny. Enjoying the uncharacteristic hostility, Lust snuck his hand into the pocket where he'd stashed the device. "You mean this thing?" He wiggled it in front of Ink's face, his eyes practically glowing with relief.

Yet when the short skeleton reached up to grab it and thank his friend, Lust snatched his hand back, keeping the phone out of Ink's range. "Nuh uh uh, don't think you're getting this thing back so easily. Consider this your punishment for not paying attention~"

Ink's mismatched eyes stared up at him in disbelief as the artist tried to get a hold on his emotions. "What? You can't do that! That's mine!"

"Hey, you told me to buy some abomination of a dress, I think I'm well within my rights. Besides, you don't have to do much to get it back, just tell me about your new boyfriend and it's all yours~"

Ink was about to ask what he meant about the dress, but froze upon hearing the word "boyfriend". The rainbow blush on his cheeks grew considerably more opaque as his ability to speak almost disappeared. "B-b-b-boyfr-friend?!"

"Yeah. You know, the 'friend' you've been texting nonstop for the past week? Honestly Ink, you really think with a name like mine I wouldn't recognize when someone's in love? Plus, Cupid's arrow must've hit you pretty hard, because you're so obvious!"

The colourful skeleton was left a stuttering mess by Lust's comments, unable to say anything in response. All he managed to accomplish is bury his head into his scarf and quietly scream into the fabric in frustration. Meanwhile, Lust was absolutely loving this.

"I guess if you don't want to tell me, this little thing will probably give me all the information I need." He wiggled the phone, turning his back on his flustered friend and making a show of unlocking the phone despite Ink's protests. "You know, it's one thing if you tell Dream your passcode, since he'll likely have forgotten by the next morning. But if you really want to keep a secret, you should know better by now than to trust me~"

"No, no please, Lust don't!"

Lust put the passcode in, unlocking the phone without issue. "Let's see, let's open up the messages..."

"Lust stop it, this isn't funny!" Ink was getting mad, abandoning his attempts at begging and trying to claw his way to the phone.

"Really? I'm finding this hilarious! Now then, most recent message sent to... Error, is that his name?" He clicked on the contact, opening up a plethora of messages. Scrolling to the top, the taller skeleton found that the start of the messages did coincide with when Ink's attention became devoted to his phone. Scanning over a few, Lust was able to paint a pretty clear picture.

"Okay you win!" The sound of sniffling brought Lust's gaze down to his shorter friend, noticing the tears at the edge of his sockets that Ink was desperately trying to hold back. Instant regret filled the taller as he saw the first few tears roll down the artist's cheeks.

"Oh hon, I'm sorry. Looks like I took this stupid joke too far, didn't I?" He crouched down to Ink's level, much as a mother would to their child. One hand rested on Ink's shoulder as the other handed the phone back and wiped the tears away that had already fallen. "You don't have to tell me anything if you really don't want to. I just want to help you, that's all."

"You... That's really all you want?" His voice was so small, as if speaking any louder would cause the small bit of control he had over his emotions to break.

Lust nodded, grabbing hold of Ink's hand and standing up. "Course it is, if anyone knows how difficult dating is, it's me. Come on, let's go somewhere a little quieter and more private, then you can tell me whatever you want."

The pair wandered over to a nearby café, ordering some food and drinks before sitting down in a quiet booth in the corner. Both waited in a slightly uncomfortable silence until the food arrived, not wanting to be disturbed.

"So... what do you want to know?" Ink poked at the pastry in front of him, not really looking up at his friend.

"Well, let's start with something easy. How did you two meet?"

"I nearly got hit by a car." Lust choked on the drink he was sipping. "Nearly," he stressed. "Then, out of nowhere I felt something wrap around me. I didn't even have time to look at what it was, but next thing I knew I was yanked out of the way. When I finally opened my eyes, this guy had me in his arms, like he was protecting me. Then he looked down at me, and his eyes..." Ink trailed off, a dreamy expression taking over his face as he rested his chin in his hand that was propped up against the table. "His eyes were so beautiful, I couldn't help but instantly get lost in them..."

The taller skeleton allowed his friend to ramble on for a bit about how gorgeous this mystery man was, at least until he couldn't stop himself from snickering. That snapped the artist out of his daydreaming, causing him to ask his friend what was so funny. "Oh, nothing hon. I just never would've pegged you as a 'love at first sight' type of guy." Ink's blush got considerably darker at that comment. "So, besides meeting your exceptionally refined standards of beauty, what's he like?"

Ink almost immediately started laughing as he jumped back into thought. "Honestly, he's a complete dork. That first conversation I had with him was so awkward, and his creepy friend certainly wasn't helping things." The smile Ink had as he continued was so genuinely sweet, Lust wanted nothing more than to snap a photo of his love-struck friend. It was simply too perfect.

"Okay, so creepy friend that makes guy seem way better by comparison, check. As dorky and awkward as you, double check. What else can I check off the list?"

"Well, he's really sweet, and thoughtful, and kind, and considerate, and... hey!" Lust couldn't help but burst out laughing as Ink finally caught on to the playful insult the taller had snuck in.

However the shorter's list of all these amazing qualities his mystery man had gave Lust an idea. He continued to tease and make fun of his friend for a bit, waiting until Ink was completely distracted and flustered. Too much so to notice Lust swipe his phone once again.

The purple skeleton quickly excused himself, coming up with some random excuse about having to make a quick phone call about a date. It wasn't completely unbelievable, since the two had initially been shopping for Lust's upcoming date earlier. It also made things easier that Ink looked almost relieved when Lust left, clearly enjoying the short break from all the teasing.

Lust wandered a short distance from the café, finding a relatively quiet spot in the mall before pulling out Ink's phone. He went straight for the contact listed as Error, and pressed the call button.

It ringed for a little bit before a glitchy voice came through the line. " _Hey Ink, what's up? I thought you said you were out with a friend right now and would call me later."_

Lust couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "He is, you're actually speaking to his friend right now. The name's Lust, sweetheart~"

The other guy on the line seemed taken aback by the flirty tone the purple skeleton had used. " _E-e-excuse me?_ "

Yep. Definitely same amount of dorky and awkward as Ink. "Oh relax hon, you just passed the first test, congrats! Some guys would've flirted back with me, at least you've got more class than most."

" _What? What are you even going on about? Where's Ink?_ " The other voice was starting to get more hostile.

"Oh don't worry about him. He's likely still poking that poor pastry with his head buried in his scarf. The point is, he's not here. So that lets me ask you what your intentions are. When it comes to Ink, that is." The glitchy voice was getting more frustrated and agitated, but Lust wasn't intimidated by the growling he kept hearing. He steeled his own voice, wanting to get his point across properly the first time. "Look, I care about Ink a lot. And while he's a really great guy, he can sometimes be naïve or oblivious. I've had my fair share of bad relationships, and the last thing I want is some random guy taking advantage of one of my friends. I'll just come right out and say it, but Ink's fallen for you, hard. So, this is your only chance. Tell me what your intentions are with my friend, and be honest. If I think you're lying, I won't hesitate to delete everything involving you from this phone, got it?"

" _W-wait, what?_ " The earlier bite in the voice was gone, replaced with a bit of panic at Lust's threat. " _N-no, please don't do that! I swear, I don't want to hurt him in the slightest! Please, just don't..._ "

The harsh coldness in Lust's voice faded away as he smirked. "Alright, alright, calm down. I believe you. Man, sounds like the lucky bastard actually got a keeper. Since that's the case, let me help you."

The two spoke on the phone for a bit longer before Lust went back to the café. As expected, Ink was still sitting there, though he'd actually stopped poking his snack and ate the thing. He managed to slip Ink's phone back without getting noticed, having made sure to delete the recent conversation from the phone's call history. To keep up appearances, Lust proceeded to keep pestering Ink, this time steering the conversation towards the topic of dates. It was subtle, but the artist's blush did in fact grow darker as they continued to speak.

When they finished their snack, Lust practically dragged Ink to a nearby store, except this time he wasn't looking for himself. The artist seemed to quickly catch on the second the taller started presenting him with outfits he thought the shorter one would look cute in.

"Lust, we're supposed to be shopping for you, not me! You're the one with a date!"

"Are you sure about that?" Lust looked at his own phone to check the time as Ink just gave him a 'what do you mean' look. "If I were you," he checked this phone once again, trying to get the timing just right. "I would check your phone in three... two... one!" Just as he finished counting Ink's phone began to ring, startling the smaller.

He pulled it out, only to frown at the contact displayed. "What. Did. You. Do." The short skeleton was practically glaring daggers at his friend, but the other seemed unaffected.

"If I were you, I'd answer that phone. Wouldn't want to give the poor guy the wrong idea, now would we~?" With that, Lust left the flustered skeleton to quickly answer the call. He kept picking out and setting aside a few outfits, trying to keep Ink's tastes in mind. All the while he made sure to keep an eye on his friend, judging his reactions to try and get a feel for the conversation.

When he finally finished the phone call, Ink practically lunged at his taller friend, wrapping him in a big hug. "I still don't know what you did, but I know you did something! Thank you so much!"

"No problem shorty, now come on. I've picked out plenty of things for you to try. There'll be something in this pile that you'll like for your date, I'm sure of it!"

Ink looked up at him, a conflicted feeling flashing across his eyes. "But what about your date? We were originally looking for you."

Lust placed a gentle hand on the top of Ink's skull. "Hon, you know me. I've got enough clothes at home to open my own little outlet store! I'll just pick something random from the closet. Besides, I'm not too hopeful for this date anyways." When asked why, Lust simply shrugged. "He just doesn't feel like he's _the one_ , you know?"

Ink seemed to think on that for a bit as they headed towards the changing rooms. "How do you know when you've found _the one_?"

He sighed. "When I figure that out, I'll let you know."

The pair managed to pick a single outfit out that Ink had practically fallen in love with. Lust wasn't the biggest fan, mostly since it didn't include the bright skirt that Ink adamantly refused to try on, but the smaller skeleton was the one that had to wear it, so he got what he wanted. Once the clothes were bought the pair ducked into the nearest restroom, allowing Ink to change. Despite the outfit possessing no skirt, Lust couldn't help but admit that Ink's choice of clothes were quite striking.

His cream coloured dress shirt was tucked into his dark slacks, both somehow still pristine and free of wrinkles. He'd opted to keep his typical sneakers, not wanting to be put through the agony of shoe shopping with Lust. Over top of his dress shirt was a rainbow hoodie with the zipper left open, the colours blending smoothly into each other. While not what the taller would consider a good match for the outfit, it certainly screamed 'Ink'. The final touches were Ink's scarf and satchel, making it something that his friend deemed acceptable for a first date. It was formal enough to say he put some effort in, while playful enough to showcase Ink's colourful personality.

"How do I look?" The shorter skeleton looked up to his friend, seeking his opinion. His nervousness was clearly visible from the way he clutched at his scarf, a slight tremor in his fingers.

Once again Lust bent down to his friend's eye level and gently placed his hands on the shorter's shoulders. "Hon, you look fine. Just try to relax a bit. I get you're nervous, but you'll be fine, trust me." He gave his most convincing smile, seeing his actions have a noticeable calming effect on the jittery skeleton.

The two skeletons left the bathroom, Ink's original clothes somehow shoved into his satchel. Lust didn't know how so much junk could fit in that poor bag, and he wasn't going to stick his hand in that thing to find out. For all he knew, it was some extradimensional wormhole or something. The pair wandered to the large fountain in the center of the mall, only for Ink to go rushing over to a random tall skeleton with black bones.

Not wanting to intrude on the couple's cute moment, Lust stood back and simply watched, taking the chance to watch how the taller skeleton treated Ink. And honestly, the two of them were adorable together. The purple skeleton had to content himself with silently cooing over the two of them as he watched from a distance. The taller wrapped an arm around Ink's shoulders and led them away, never dropping the large smile he had. As they were leaving, the artist turned around to where he knew his friend was, mouthing the words 'thank you' before the two skeletons were lost in the crowd of people.

A small sigh escaped Lust as his eyes lingered where they'd been. "I so ship it~"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains extreme violence and some gore.
> 
> Please read at your own discretion.

"This is so weird, right? Like, this isn't normal." Dust whispered over to Killer as the two of them quietly watched Error on the phone. The glitchy skeleton looked... happy. Error _never_ looked happy, he was always grumpy and miserable. Yet ever since he found his soulmate nearly a week ago, the guy wasn't miserable in the slightest. He wouldn't stop staring at his phone, always laughing or smiling at whatever messages he received. Could a soulmate really change someone that much?

"Dude, I one hundred percent agree with you right now. Though, maybe we'll get yelled at less with him not paying attention?" The pair were currently hiding behind one of the rather large and luxurious sofas in the living room, seeing Error wandering about a room over.

Dust still couldn't believe the size of this place. This house, or perhaps the better term was mansion, was a massive three-story complex on the outskirts of town. Despite Nightmare's brother technically owning the place, he didn't live there, saying it was too big and had too many bad memories. So, the seven of them had the place all to themselves, meaning they could safely be in their daemon forms if they wanted.

"Just what are you two doing?" A cold presence could be felt behind the pair mere seconds before two tentacles wrapped around their ankles. The two skeletons were hoisted into the air with a loud screech, turning around to face an unimpressed Nightmare. Out of all of them, he'd been the one to most take advantage of the privacy this place provided them. Their leader hadn't left his daemon form since they'd arrived here, and they doubted that would change anytime soon.

Killer was currently fumbling for an excuse. "W-well, we were... uh... um... we were..."

"Inspecting the sofas!" Dust blurted out, barely thinking his response through. Killer smacked his hand against his forehead.

Nightmare just gave him a look. "Inspecting the sofas? You sure that's the answer you want to go with?"

It was clear that he knew what they'd been doing, but Dust knew that backing down now and admitting the truth was a trap. It would only end up getting them in more trouble for lying. "Yup!"

Error had finished his phone call and came in to see Nightmare holding the two skeletons in the air upside down by their ankles. "Do I even want to know?"

Nightmare shot him a sly look. "Oh, it seems these two were 'inspecting the sofas'." He made air quotes around that last part.

The two older skeletons shared a devious look before Error poked at Dust. "Oh you were, were you? What were you inspecting them for, hmm?"

"Um... well, you see..." He glanced over at Killer, but his friend would be of no help to get out of this one. "W-well, it's an old house right? And no one's lived here in a long time, so... gotta make sure things won't fall apart on us, right?"

"Ah, I see. So you won't mind checking _all_ the furniture in the house while I'm on my date, right?"

"Wait, what-"

Reaper's sudden appearance cut the young upside down skeleton off. "Oho, so you finally managed to get a date?" He was lazily gliding through the air, his wings flapping just enough to keep him aloft.

All four of them were startled by the lazy skeleton's unexpected presence. "Geez, I just found my soulmate, don't kill me off with a soul attack!" Error recovered from Reaper's jump scare, his anger being replaced with a hint of embarrassment. "And yeah I got a date, though I had a bit of help. I'll have to leave pretty soon to be there on time."

The raven daemon swooped down to clap a hand on Error's back, completely ignoring the other's dislike of physical contact. "Then what are you waiting for, Romeo? Get going! We'll take care of these two." As he finished that last sentence, his eerie gaze shifted to the two young skeletons still being held in the air, causing both to flinch.

The spider daemon wandered off, continuing to grumble about Reaper as he left to go spend time with his soulmate. Nightmare unceremoniously dropped the two, Killer falling on his face while Dust managed to catch himself. "Alright you two, best get to work if you're gonna finish 'inspecting' everything before Error comes back." Nightmare turned to walk away, leaving the two dumbfounded and scrambling for a way out, or at least some help.

"W-wait, you want the two of us to inspect the entire house by ourselves?" Killer screeched, earning another of their leader's infamous glares.

While the frog daemon shrunk back, his partner felt bold enough to continue on in his place. "Y-yeah, maybe Horror or Fell could help out?"

Reaper's voice behind them simply chuckled. "Afraid not, those two are out looking for their soulmates while gathering supplies and intel." As the two proceeded to look up at the taller with puppy dog eyes, he only laughed again. "Don't think so boys. I've got my own soulmate to hunt down. They might've escaped through a cruel twist of fate last time, but this time I will not be thwarted by a common piece of machinery." With that declaration he practically vanished, leaving the two of them and Nightmare alone.

Before they could even attempt to beg, the goopy skeleton growled, "Don't even think about it," before turning the corner and leaving the two alone.

So now the two of them were stuck inspecting the furniture of this three-story mansion that no one's live in in years.

"Inspecting the sofas," Killer mocked. "Yeah, that's totally a great idea."

"Well, I didn't see you coming up with anything," the monkey snapped back. "What was I supposed to say? 'Oh nothing, we're just creeping on Error because he's been acting super weird ever since he found his soulmate.' How do you think that would've gone over?"

"We probably would've gotten yelled at again instead of inventing some stupid chore!"

The two skeletons didn't even really know what they were doing. Both were for the most part staring at the furniture, poking and prodding to see if anything fell off.

"This is so dumb," Dust complained. "Can't we just say that we did it? It's not like anyone's here to know the difference."

His friend chuckled humorlessly. "Honestly, with our luck? Either there's something in this house that'll fall apart if looked at funny, or Reaper's actually still here and has been secretly watching us this whole time. Both end up with us getting yelled at _again_ , and possibly something worse happening."

"What could be worse than getting yelled at by Error _and_ Nightmare?"

The frog daemon paused his inspection of the dining chair in front of him and pondered that thought for a minute. "Well, they could keep us here so we can't find our soulmates."

Both of them froze at Killer's words. "T-they c-can't do that, r-right? They c-couldn't be t-that cruel!"

Killer shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm not going to give them an excuse to even _think_ about playing that card. We should get back to work if we're gonna finish by the time they get back."

While Killer busied himself with his inspections, Dust remained frozen, contemplating the possibility of being denied even a chance to find his soulmate. He looked about the large house, thinking of being confined here while the others were free. Sure the house was nice, and everything they could ever need was there, but still...

"A gilded cage is still a cage," he murmured under his breath. His gaze drifted up as the quiet words left his mouth. Not looking for anything in particular, the monkey couldn't help but notice how the door to the second floor balcony had been left slightly open. He knew from experience that it was relatively easy for him to get to the roof from there, and couldn't stop his mind from mapping out all the possible routes he could take to reach that door from his current position. Rebellious thought filled his mind, twisting the frown he'd had into a devious smirk. Maybe instead of letting others tell him what to do, he'd take fate into his own hands for once.

"What was that?" The other skeleton looked up when he heard his partner mutter something to find Dust's face filled with a twisted glee, immediately recognizing the look. "Dust," he called out, voice stern and full of warning. The other's gaze met Killer's, never dropping the smile he wore. "I don't know what you're thinking, but don't do it. You know you'll just get in some serious trouble."

"Oh come Kills, you telling me you'd seriously rather spend the entire day staring at furniture instead of being outside? Fresh air, sunlight, a light breeze... Those have to sound more appealing than... this." He made a vague gesture to the chairs currently in front of them.

"If it saves me a lecture, then yeah, I guess I'd rather be here."

Dust pouted a bit at his best friend's lack of cooperation, before shrugging it off. He felt himself shifting, his tail slowly poking its way out from underneath his pants. His mind already set, Dust made one last attempt to convince Killer.

"You know you can't stop me, right? You've known me long enough to know that you can throw all the logic you want at me, but it won't really work. So why not just come with me? At least that way you could keep me out of trouble. What do you say?"

The monkey stood there with his arm outstretched, tail impatiently flicking about. He studied his friend's reaction, seeing a conflicted mixture of doubt, regret, stubbornness, and frustration on his face. Eventually, Killer shook his head. Dust pulled his hand back, shrugging at his friend's choice. "Suit yourself."

Just as he went to turn around and leave, the hairs along the back of his neck felt something. Recognizing the signals, Dust yanked himself to the side as a large ball of black slime raced past his face before sticking to the nearby wall. He whipped his head to find Killer in his daemon form as well, another sticky slime ball already forming. Killer's eyes were full of frustration and anger as he continued to grow the ball in his hand. "So what? You'll just leave me here to do all the work while you go running off to who knows where? Don't you realize we'll _both_ get in trouble that way? I am not gonna let you get away this time."

Dust risked a quick glance back to the ball that was still stuck to its point of impact. Ignoring Killer's logic, he replied, "And I am not cleaning that up."

His words were like a trigger, causing Killer to fling the ball he currently had at him, instantly replacing in with another as he yelled out in frustration with Dust's antics. Dust made use of the fine hairs along his body to help predict where the slime would strike next, combining that with his speed and agility to nimbly dodge all of them. Every ball stuck to whatever it hit instead of the flying monkey, making it clear that Killer was using his sticky mucous in hopes of stopping and trapping him.

The room quickly devolved into utter chaos, almost any available surface coated in black slime. Lucky for Dust, a chaotic environment was what he worked best in. His eyes darted about, looking for places to land and jump off of, trusting his senses to keep himself from getting hit. The multiple pathways to the second floor balcony that he'd scoped out earlier were practically outlined in his mind, constantly shifting and adjusting to account for Killer's attacks. Slowly, his brain whittled away at the various paths until only a single one remained. Grinning, Dust made his move.

The monkey ducked down behind the sofa that started all of this, hearing the dark gooey ball collide into the top of the sofa with a loud splat. Bits of the slime dripped down onto the floor, Dust being careful to avoid getting any on him. Whether it was in his hair or on his bones, about the only one who could properly get it off was Killer himself.

"Dusty, come on out~" his friend called out in a sing-song voice, definitely prepared to strike the second Dust made himself visible.

"And let you turn me into a piece of modern art? No thank you." As he spoke, he used his voice to cover up any sounds made as he slipped his shoes off, relishing the feeling of freedom as his hand-like toes were freed from their restraints.

He put one sneaker on his right hand and pushed the other to the edge of the sofa, as close as he could manage without Killer seeing it. Turning his back on the shoe, he placed his tail at the heel of it before preparing to jump. Dust waited a few seconds, mentally checking everything to ensure his plan would work, before using his tail to push the toes of the shoe out far enough that his friend could see.

"Aha!" The second he shouted, Dust launched up. The ball of slime collided with the shoe, blasting it back a bit before trapping it in a gooey mess. "Shit, you used the freaking decoy shoe trick?!" Dust could only laugh as he felt his free hand wrap around the post the ceiling fan extruded from. The monkey safely knew from experience that this particular fan was more than capable of holding his weight, as earlier this week he'd wrapped his legs around it and turned it on in an attempt to alleviate his boredom. Needless to say, he got yelled at, but not before making several jokes about dust on ceiling fans.

Knowing his friend well, Dust placed his remaining sneaker in the direct path of the slime ball coming straight at him. The improvised shield served its purpose, allowing the monkey to discard it and chuck it at Killer's face. As Killer pulled the shoe covered in his own sticky slime off his face, Dust launched over to the railing for the stairs leading to the second floor. A few more jumps, and he was right in front of his ticket out. One last ball of dark goo splashed against the wall right beside him, Dust quickly ducking his head out of the line of fire. "Sorry Kills, better luck next time! Oh, and have fun on your date with the furniture!"

Dust bolted out the open door, flinging himself onto the roof as Killer's angry shouts faded from the distance. From there, he jumped from tree to tree until he was properly within the city. Dust then switched forms and began running along the rooftops, enjoying the fresh air and the light autumn breeze that greeted him. He didn't even know where he was going, simply allowing his feet to take him somewhere. With practiced movements he glided along the rooftops of neighbouring buildings, moving too fast for anyone to see, let alone try to stop.

When fatigue was finally starting to be felt in his legs, the young skeleton stopped to survey his surroundings. He'd long since abandoned the area of the city he'd started in, now in a bustling commercial district. Cars and trucks raced by on the streets below, the distance turning the pedestrians he could see into tiny insects. He giggled childishly as he pretended to squash a few between his fingertips.

The breeze whipped up, blowing a handful of colourful leaves straight into the skeleton's face and bringing a chilly nip to the air. It was moments like this that Dust was glad he'd kept the old blue hoodie he'd had when they all first arrived. Blue was his favorite colour, so he'd decided that Horror and Killer could go steal all the new clothes they wanted. His hoodie had also been in the best condition, and was still warm enough that he could easily get away with wearing it for a few more months. He had however opted for a new cream coloured sweater and some long dark grey track pants. Far warmer than the ragged old clothes he'd had before. Dust had also snagged some sneakers, but those were now trapped in Killer's goo, and after the stunt he just pulled he doubted he'd easily get them back.

As the small traces of tiredness began to fade, Dust began to wander aimlessly along the roof. Maybe he could spot one of the guys? Or find something of use that could maybe spare him whatever punishment was waiting for him back home. _Home_. It was so weird that in such a short time span, Dust and the others had taken to calling that house home. Maybe it was because they knew they'd be staying here for who knows how long, especially with Error already finding his soulmate. They all felt like they had a chance to safely get attached to this place.

Once again he had no idea where his feet were taking him, but this time he felt they were taking him _somewhere_. Dust couldn't explain it, this feeling deep in his soul, which seemed to grow marginally stronger with each step forward he took. Before he realized it, he was running. Running in some unknown direction, following this sensation he'd never once experienced but wholly trusted to guide him. His soul was hammering in his chest like a drum, every beat driving him forward until finally he found himself perched on some random building in a more unsavory part of town.

The stench of alcohol and cigarettes drifted up from the nearby alley, a choking scent that only served to bring bad memories along with them. Scrunching his nose in disgust, Dust instead scanned the litter filled ground below him to distract himself, not allowing himself to remember. Broken beer bottles and some old used needles could be seen amongst the scattered old food wrappings and other miscellaneous junk. Clearly not somewhere he'd want to linger for long.

This point was only further proved by the presence of a small group of what looked to be gang members, four of them, each armed in various ways. All four were human men, looking to be human elitists if the symbols hastily scrawled on their clothing were any indication. They were the kind of humans that believed monsters had no place among them, that all of monsterkind should either be slaughtered or sealed away. Dust picked out a set of brass knuckles, baseball bat, a crowbar, but what really scared him was the sloppily concealed gun he saw. Man or monster, guns were an effective means of killing.

The group seemed to have a small monster pinned against the wall, the four humans sneering down at him. He couldn't understand why, but there was something drawing the daemon to this monster. He unconsciously shifted his position on the roof above to be closer, to get a better look. Now he could see they were a skeleton monster, just like him, though with a bright blue scarf tied around their neck and no hoodie.

Everything clicked for him when he met the terrified blue eyes of the monster below. Dust's soul began to hammer in his chest, feeling as if it were doing literal flips as he felt a splash of purple cover his cheekbones. He just couldn't look away from those teary eyes. Those sad, scared eyes, they seemed unnatural on the small skeleton's adorable face. The daemon wanted nothing more than to swoop down and wipe those tears away, see that beautiful face with a bright smile, hear him laugh.

Those humans... they were the reason for their suffering. That skeleton was terrified because _them_. Rage burned deep within him, finally forcing his soul to stop practicing gymnastics. This anger, this hatred towards humans, was clearly something that he would never forget, no matter how hard he tried. Too many years of ridicule and abuse at their hands had forever scarred the young skeleton's soul, making it something impossible to abandon, no matter how hard he tried. The anger continued to fester and boil beneath the surface, begging for release.

One of the humans said something, dragging those bright starry eyes that were silently pleading for help away. The second the skeleton looked back at them, the human that spoke immediately threw his fist right at the monster's cheek. With that single action, Dust's vision went red. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to rip those humans apart, slowly and painfully. At that moment, a single memory popped into Dust's mind, of an old nickname he'd earned for his more violent tendencies. Murder.

He felt himself falling and changing at the same time, allowing his more flexible and resilient daemon form to absorb the force of the impact. Considering he fell from the top of a six story building it was no surprise when the surrounding pavement cracked underneath him. It certainly served to startle the four men. Not wanting to risk something going wrong, Dust reverted to his monster form shortly after landing.

"Aw, what's the matter?" His voice sounded almost foreign to himself, stripped of its usual playfulness and filled with a dangerous sweetness. An insane giggle tore through his throat as he stood up to face the four humans. "You almost seem afraid, like someone dragged the skeletons out of your closet."

"What the fuck?" The one with a baseball bat spoke up. "Where the fuck did you come from? Who the fuck are you?!"

He giggled again at the aggression in their voice. "Oh, you really shouldn't worry about such unimportant things. What you should worry about, is what I'm going to do to you for hurting that little monster behind you. If you're smart, you'll let him go and I might let you off with a few bruises."

The four looked at each other, clearly uncertain about the situation. Suddenly one of them burst into loud laughter, the other three nervously joining in. Judging from their reactions, Dust pinned him as the leader. He also remembered from his earlier observations that he was the one possessing a gun. "Well, would you look at that, looks like this fucker's actually got some balls on him! Boys, show em what we do to _his kind_ when they make the mistake of entering our territory!"

The nervousness of the other three were replaced with bravado at their leader's words, each brandishing their various weapons and stepping forward with dark and twisted grins. The one closest had the brass knuckles, clearly making a show of the simple weapon. Dust merely smirked in response. He didn't even move, he simply waited for the others for come to him.

The guy with the brass knuckles decided to strike first. Compared to the others, he was physically the biggest there, with lots of muscle to back up his simplistic weapon. He swung his fist in a wide arc, but the movement was so obvious that Dust simply leaned back. The fist sped through the air where his head had been. "Oh wow, so close there buddy! Wanna try again?"

His taunt served to frustrate his attacker more. He threw another couple punches, and yet again Dust dodged by moving his head off to the side, allowing the attack to harmlessly bypass him. He could've continued to dodge the ridiculously slow attacks, but the skeleton was starting to grow bored. Instead of dodging, he opted to catch the next one, and was thoroughly surprised by the lack of force behind it. Both Horror and Killer were way stronger whenever they managed to hit him. Honestly, Dust was overall the weakest in a fight out of all of them, relying solely on his speed to have a fighting chance. Weren't humans supposed to be stronger than monsters? Or were these humans just pathetic?

The three humans in front of him bore expressions of shock and fear, the one caught in his grip trying desperately to escape. "Heh, is this really all you got?" His voice dropped to a low growl, eyes burning with raw violet magic. Dust licked his lips as he said, "My turn~"

Taking the hand in his grasp, Dust placed his other hand right on top of the man's elbow joint. Pushing with that hand and pulling with the one holding the fist, Dust quickly applied force until a sickening snap echoed throughout the alley, followed shortly by the man's screams. "Aw did I break my new toy already?" Dust teased the man as he played with the broken arm still in his grasp, eliciting more cries of agony from him. "Man, I guess I need to find a new toy that isn't so..." He trailed off before driving his foot into the man's knee, practically feeling the shattering of bone beneath as the knee was hyperextended and bent backwards. Letting go of his victim, Dust watched with a manic grin as the man was rendered unable to stand because of his broken leg, collapsing onto his side as he howled in pain and cradled his broken arm to his chest. "Broken~" he finished as he stepped over the man, a spark of insanity dancing in his eyes as he made sure to step on the broken leg and bring out more fevered screams for help. Sure, he wanted to kill that man, but he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, and his screams would help to demoralize his companions.

The looks of absolute fear on their faces proved to the skeleton that his plan was successful. The next one to come after him was the one with the baseball bat. He might've been dangerous if he'd gone first, when the three had all been full of a false sense of courage. Now though, after what happened to his buddy, the shorter man was clearly hesitant to attack. This hesitation proved to be his undoing.

The man's swing was slow and clumsy, the path predictable from the first second. Dust stooped down, ducking underneath the bat's path. As the bat swung harmlessly overhead the man was left unbalanced from his attack, clearly never really using the thing against someone who could fight back. Dust curled his boney fingers around the thick piece of wood, right above where the other was currently holding on. The skeleton was practically laughing as he grabbed hold of the man's head with his other hand. "Too slow~" he purred into the man's ear. Surprised, the man didn't even have time to react before Dust slammed his skull as hard as he could into the nearby brick wall. Bones crunched and a splatter of blood was left at the point of impact. The man's body instantly went limp, surrendering the weapon he once held to Dust as he collapsed to the ground. "Think I'll borrow your little toy though, seeing as how you won't be needing it~" If he wasn't dead from the impact alone, the blood loss and brain damage would surely kill him.

All that left was the man with the crowbar to deal with, though man might've been a stretch. He honestly looked like some kid that had just gotten mixed up in the wrong crowd, but Dust didn't care. It would've been bad enough if he'd simply stood by and watched, but this human had cheered his buddies on, had made a few swings himself. This kid had known exactly what he was doing to the poor little monster they'd captured, so kid or not he would face the same fate.

As his gaze fell on the kid, they visibly flinched. The kid's entire body was shaking horribly as he saw the murderous intentions of the skeleton before him. Sticking the bat out in front of him, Dust spoke in a sing-song voice, "You're next~"

Dust watched as the front of the kid's pants grew darker, a large wet spot radiating out from their crotch. The crowbar practically vibrated out of his tremoring hands, clattering to the ground as the kid went to run. The kid made it about three steps as his legs turned to jelly, going limp underneath him from the fear. The skeleton took a leisurely pace as he approached, stopping only long enough to finally silence the screaming from man he'd left broken earlier.

The daemon towered over the kid's terrified form, his bat dripping with fresh blood and bits of flesh. A pair of fear filled eyes stared back at him tears streaming down his face, mumbled pleas for mercy escaping his trembling lips. The crazed grin painted across the skeleton's face finally fell from the cowardly display in front of him.

Mercy... he wanted mercy... after what he'd done, he thought his actions were forgivable? "The only mercy you'll get from me kid is a quick death." Before they even had a chance to beg some more or defend themselves, Dust drove the bat straight down, crushing their skull and rendering them instantly lifeless.

"And then there was one." Dust drew his gaze up from the corpse below only to see that the leader of the group of thugs had drawn his gun and placed it against the temple of the small skeleton he now held in his arms. A look of pure fear and disgust could be seen, the man's body shaking as Dust began to walk towards him. There were no emotions to be seen on the skeleton. He was simply, cold, empty, void of any mercy or compassion.

"S-stay back, I'm w-w-warning y-you. I-I'll do it, I'll p-pull the fu-fucking trigger!" The man could barely speak properly from the amount his teeth were rattling. "I w-will kill him!"

Dust stopped, meeting the terrified gaze of the blue skeleton before him. It was the same look that made him jump into this mess in the first place, his soul crying out to him to do something to comfort them. He cracked a small smile, his eyes softening a bit as Dust tried his best to show him everything was going to be alright. As his gaze drifted upward to his captor, any trace of softness or emotion vanished. "You kill him, and it'll be a race as to whose body hits the ground first."

That served to have the gun pointed at him instead, which is exactly what he wanted. Without showing fear, Dust continued to walk closer, his grip tightening on the wooden bat in his hand. The man called another warning, finger vibrating on the trigger. Another step forward, body aching from the tension of holding back.

Bang!

Pain radiated from Dust's cheekbone where the bullet whizzed by, but it was quickly blocked out by the adrenaline racing through his bones. The second the sound of the gun firing echoed throughout the narrow alley, the skeleton surged forward. He raised the bat, aiming for the hand currently holding the gun. Before the man could even process that he missed and try again, Dust cracked the bat along his fingers, ripping a scream from the man as the gun clattered to the ground. The skeleton in his grip was pushed to the ground as he held his broken hand, screaming profanities.

Dust wasn't expecting what came next. He'd anticipated the guy to be a bigger coward than the kid, running the second he was disarmed. Instead, the man rushed forward, his face showing equal parts fury and desperation as he brandished a concealed knife. Genuinely surprised, Dust abandoned the bat to bring both of his arms up to defend himself. The blade sliced through the fabric of his sleeves, nicking the bone beneath.

As Dust jumped back, his attacker gave chase, slashing the knife in an unpredictable fashion and pushing the skeleton onto the defensive. "You fucking monster! You and your kind shouldn't even exist! We humans are the superior race!" He continued to shout elitist garbage as he pursued his target, catching Dust's arms a couple more times. So much for his jacket being in good condition.

"You monsters are lucky we even allow your pitiful existence. We are stronger, we are determined!" Dust jumped back once more only for his back to collide with the wall. Panic raced through his soul as he realized he was trapped, his assailant right in front of him with the knife raised. The man grinned in victory, deciding to rub his success in the monster's face. "We are-"

His speech was cut off partway through as the familiar ring of the baseball bat connecting could be heard. Confused, Dust stood there with his back pressed against the wall as the human's eyes rolled back in his head, their body slumping to the ground. A voice that was somehow sweet yet ice cold said, "You talk too much." Ripping his attention away from the unfortunately still breathing human, Dust found the source of the voice to be none other than the small blue skeleton. They held the bat with both hands, holding it in such a way that they could strike again if need be. Anger and fear were mixed in their bright blue eyes.

When the gaze of the two skeletons met, the smaller one's entire body displayed relief, nearly collapsing if not for the other rushing forward to catch them. The two enjoyed the relative peace of the quiet alley, checking each other for injuries. Neither were seriously hurt, though Dust knew that the shallow cuts on his cheek and arms would cause everyone to throw a fit when he got back.

"Why did you save me?" Any trace of the previous venom in his voice was gone, leaving a sound as sweet and pure as an angel.

Dust looked down to the small skeleton wrapped in his protective embrace. He honestly didn't know the answer to that question himself. It was so out of character for him to risk his life for anyone but his brothers, but something about this beautiful little creature just made him desire to protect them. "Dunno, though I'm glad I did... um..."

"Oh, where are my manners? My name's Blue!" A bit of sparkle returned to his eyes and voice.

"Really? That's an awesome name! Blue's my favorite colour! Oh, and my name's Dust!" Dust too felt himself returning to his more typical personality, completely forgetting about the unconscious man and three dead bodies nearby. He felt himself truly smile as Blue began giggling, joining in shortly after.

A thought pinged in the back of his mind, reminding the taller skeleton where he was. "Say, why don't we go somewhere a little... safer?" The shorter skeleton nodded, climbing out of the taller's lap so that they could both stand up.

"Where should we go?"

"Hmm, I don't know about you, but after all that I could go for some sweets. Wanna go raid some bakery or something?"

"Really?!" Dust was a bit startled by the sudden excitement at the idea, feeling his soul begin to beat furiously at the adorable excited expression the blue skeleton had. Realizing he surprised the other, Blue quickly went to apologize. "Sorry, it's just that my friends don't let me have anything too sugary. They say it makes me super hyper, even though I love the stuff."

The dejected expression he bore pulled at Dust's soul, making him hug the smaller close before he even realized what he was doing. Blue squeaked a bit at the gesture but quickly relaxed and hugged back. This warmth, this happiness he felt was something Dust had never before experienced. As he wondered how he ended up here, his mind replayed the day's events backwards. He couldn't help but stop his own memories as he recalled how he and Killer had contemplated the bizarre changes in Error's behaviour, all because of his soulmate. Did this mean that the little guy that was currently clinging to him was his soulmate? Was that why he'd acted so different?

Shaking the questions from his head, he decided it didn't really matter right now. He could always ask Reaper later or something, but for now he was quite happy to remain by Blue's side. He pulled back from the hug, flashing an enormous grin as he tried to clear away the smaller's worries about sugar. "Don't worry about the sugar rush, if you enjoy it you should have it! Besides, I'm sure I'll be able to keep up with you afterwards. We'll be like sugar rush buddies!"

Blue seemed convinced, quickly grabbing hold of Dust's hand as the taller led the two out of the unsavory part of town. He tried his best, but no matter what the taller skeleton did he couldn't suppress the violet blush covering his cheeks at the simple gesture.

"Oh, and Blue?" The smaller hummed in response. "Promise me that you'll never go into this part of town again, okay?"

The smaller hesitantly agreed, but Dust didn't push any further as to the reason behind his hesitation. There would be plenty of time to talk later. All that really mattered right now was that the two were safe. Even though there were cuts and bruises to remind them of the event, they would heal and fade with time.

That's if Nightmare didn't kill him for this when he got home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, Cross and Geno are two of my absolute favourite characters in this story due to their history, abilities, and the relationship they share.  
> I know the pair haven't had a ton of focus yet and haven't been seen together, but I'm still curious what people think of them before and after reading this chapter and if their opinions on the two changed at all.

Sighing, Sci looked up to the bright clear sky above him, noting the sun approaching the far horizon. A month from now, and he'll be walking home in the dark. _Just another thing I'll have to worry about_. Shifting the mountain of books in his arms, the tired skeleton trudged away from the building his lab was in. He began making a mental checklist of all the things he still had to do tonight to stay on top of his work, groaning inwardly as the list kept getting longer.

"Sci, is that you?" A calm and familiar voice snapped him out of his spiralling thoughts. Peering past the books in his arms, Sci saw the familiar figures of Cross and Geno.

Cross smirked as his friend's head popped out from behind a large stack of books. "Heh, how in the world could you tell that was Sci? All I saw was a pile of books with legs."

Geno just rolled his eye. "Just shut up and help him, will you?" With that, Cross walked over and effortlessly plucked over two thirds of the stack out of Sci's hands. "What even are all those books?"

Sci wandered over to the scarfed skeleton, finding the two books he still held significantly easier to manage. "Eh, mostly some research journals. Figured they would be easier to read at home then in my lab. But enough about me, how are you feeling? It feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"Probably because I've been stuck in the damn hospital for forever." Cross piped up only to clarify that it was two weeks. "That's still three weeks I haven't been here, with the past week I spent getting caught up." He glared over at the black and white skeleton, who simply shrugged and continued walking, gesturing to Sci to help out Geno and follow.

"Wait, you're already all finished? How did you manage to get caught up on two weeks of work in only one?" He was struggling to find a way to push the chair with his hands full of books, until Geno reached a hand back offering to take them. With his hands now free, the nerdy skeleton was quick to attempt to catch up to Cross' long strides.

Geno simply shrugged at the questions. "I would've been done sooner if _someone_ wasn't constantly distracting me when I'm focussed."

"Oh, excuse me for making sure you eat and sleep," Cross responded with mock indignation. "I'm not really in the mood for you to put yourself back in the hospital, I've missed my training buddy!" The taller skeleton slowed enough to throw their chair-bound friend in a playful headlock, eliciting laughter from the two of them at their playful antics.

Sci couldn't help but smile at the two of them. While Cross and Geno weren't related to each other, the two had always been together since before Sci and the others had met them. Both were highly protective of the other and acted completely different with each other than with the rest of them. Cross for example would come across as so responsible and serious when with any of the others, often acting like a babysitter with some of them, yet whenever Geno was around he was always quite playful and relaxed, making jokes and poking fun at the scarfed skeleton. Geno on the other hand often seemed quiet and reserved, more of a listener than a talker, yet he always seemed far more confident and outspoken whenever their monochromatic friend was next to him. Truly, the two of them were brothers.

Yet something that Cross said caught the bespectacled skeleton's attention. "Wait, training buddy? What do you mean by that?"

"Heh, you caught that huh?" Geno shot Cross a look, causing him to immediately let go with an apologetic look. "Well, we were just on our way to go do a training session, want to come with and see what he meant?" His curiosity caused him to nod his head. He started pushing the chair along as he followed Cross, all three of them heading to a building Sci never spent time in, the physical education building. The building had state of the art arenas, gyms, and sparring grounds, all of which had never interested him in the slightest. While the technology might be interesting to dissect and examine, Sci was fairly certain he had access to higher quality equipment in his lab that he was actually _allowed_ to dismantle.

As the three entered the building, Cross led them to one of the sparring grounds, taking a wheelchair accessible route out of habit. The walk there was quite uninteresting to Sci, finding the walls filled with sports memorabilia and trophies almost tacky. He much preferred the science building, where models of various scientific achievements decorated the walkway. But, instead of getting to see a real dinosaur skeleton, he was currently walking past some ratty old mascot costume that smelled as if it had never been washed. Then again, that might've just been the lingering odor of the place.

The sparring grounds themselves were a different story. As Cross checked in, Geno directed Sci over to the outskirts of the grounds. The console they stopped in front of practically had the scientist drooling, desperately wanting to dive in and figure out how it worked. With a practiced motion, the scarfed skeleton rolled in front of the console, waving his hand over the glass to activate it. Dozens of buttons illuminated the panel, yet Geno began working too fast for Sci to even begin to comprehend the setup. A bit disappointed, he made a mental note to look into the controls later.

Cross was practically skipping in excitement as he returned, hopping up behind the two other skeletons and clapping a hand on both of them. Sci couldn't help but jump at the sudden action, while Geno simply looked over his shoulder, giving no other form of reaction. The taller smirked at his more jumpy friend before turning to address the other. "Alright, we've got the place for an hour. You thinking anything in particular? After all, we've got ourselves an audience this time." The wide smile Sci was sent did nothing to calm his nerves.

"One to five sound good? He can just chill with me in the end zone then and still be able to see you show off." While Cross seemed to understand what Geno meant, their friend was left trying to comprehend what they meant by 'one to five'.

"Oh please, you act like you aren't going to show off a little."

"Okay, maybe a little." The two skeletons were laughing at what Sci could only guess was some inside joke before Cross leapt over the gate and ran over to the opposite end of the arena. He then began to do some basic stretches and warm ups while Geno went back to the console.

"And there. Alright, let's head in." As the scarfed skeleton uttered those words, he turned his chair around, gesturing for Sci to take him into the arena, which Sci of course thought was completely foolish.

"B-But, if Cross is g-going to be training, s-shouldn't we stay outside t-the barrier?"

Ignoring the other's stuttered protest, Geno began wheeling himself over to the gate. Not wanting his friend to struggle too much and hurt himself, the nerdy skeleton quickly raced to assist. Yet as he took that first step past the gate in the barrier, Sci felt a wave of power course through his bones, tingling against the surface and full of energy. While the sensation was unfamiliar to him, he gathered that the most likely scenario was that Geno had dropped the magic suppression system for the arena.

Since humans were the dominant species on the planet, outnumbering monsters almost twenty five to one, there were certain rules and regulations that had been enforced on monster kind. One such rule was magic suppression. Humans viewed the magic most monsters possessed as highly dangerous, and so mandated that any settlement with a sizeable monster population would have magic suppression systems installed across the entire settlement. Some monsters, like Sci, had spent their entire life under the influence of a magic suppression field, meaning they never once learned to use that power. There were only certain areas where the field could be legally dropped, and one such area were sparring grounds like the one they were now standing in.

Geno moved over to the end of the field, opposite from the other skeleton still preparing. As Sci followed, he took notice of how different and almost unnerving it was to actually be in the arena. The arena's shape for the most part was a rough oval, similar to a skating rink. Various grooves were etched into the metal flooring, likely where certain parts of the arena would spring to life following some sort of programming. While the physical barricade encompassing the arena only came about halfway up Sci's body, he could quite clearly see the swirling magic barrier encompassing them, which would dispel any magic attack on contact.

Curious, the scientist found himself trying to command his magic to create a bone, the most basic form of magic for a skeleton monster like himself. Unsurprisingly he found the attempt unsuccessful, though his actions served to earn him a chuckle from his companion. "Guess I should've expected you to try it, would've been amazing if you managed to pull it off on your first try."

His words were clearly hinting at something, causing Sci to raise an eyebrow. "You sound like you did the same thing at some point."

"Well, not exactly." As he spoke, Geno held out his right hand. Within a few seconds, a pure white bone materialized, hovering over his palm and leaving Sci speechless. Never in his life had he seen a monster perform magic, and yet Geno, who only last week was discharged from the hospital, made it look so easy. "I didn't grow up in the city like you did, so I was taught how to use my magic when I was pretty young. It's fairly easy for me to do it now. And before you freak out, no it will not affect my health in the slightest." He spoke with such a confident calmness to his voice that Sci just couldn't help but believe him.

"Well then, moving along... So how exactly do you and Cross train? And what's this 'one to five' you mentioned?"

"Well, the second question is fairly easy. We split the field up into five segments, which we mentally assign a number starting at one and going to five. Each segment is harder to traverse than the last, sort of like a sliding difficulty scale. And to answer your first question..." He trailed off, waving his arm about till Cross returned the gesture. "I feel like a demonstration is easier than an explanation."

Geno took a deep breath and closed his eye, exhaling before raising his left hand high in the air. As he snapped his fingers, a vibrant mixture of blue and red magic exploded from his fingertips as the far end of the arena was suddenly filled with bones. Sci was pretty sure his jaw would've hit the floor if it weren't attached to the rest of his skull from the impressive display. Glancing over, he saw Geno's one eye was now open, the pupil now stained crimson and azure as raw magic left a trail leaking from his socket. Yet what really surprised him was the look in Geno's eye, the vibrant and lively passion that burned in it as he grinned at the skeleton across the field.

While the distance made it hard to tell, Cross seemed to have a similar look on his face as he fearlessly leapt into the field of bones. The black and white skeleton effortlessly weaved between them, never even coming close to getting hit. Before Sci could even comprehend what his two friends were doing, Cross had covered a fifth of the distance between them, neither him nor Geno even reacting to this achievement. The second the other crossed the threshold, the scarfed skeleton snapped him fingers again, creating another barrage of bones, though this time Sci could see blue bones mixed in among the white.

Blue magic, the ability to affect gravity and motion. A high level form of magic beyond the typical colourless magic most monsters had access to. For someone of such fragile health as Geno to be capable of such a thing was completely baffling to the scientist. Yet the scarfed skeleton showed no signs of fatigue, on the contrary he seemed to be more energized as Cross set to traversing the second segment.

Said skeleton was making quick work of the obstacles, expertly predicting where the bones would strike while Sci couldn't even begin to see a pattern. It was almost like he could see each one of them, even the ones flying at him from behind. Yet again not a single bone managed to connect before Cross cleared the second segment.

"T-This isn't seeming l-like much of a challenge f-for him." Sci couldn't help but notice the tremor in his voice, betraying how nervous he was about this whole thing. After all, one friend was willingly walking into massive field of magic attacks, while the other was using magic on a scale the scientist had never seen. He was honestly quite scared that one or both of them were going to recklessly land themselves in the hospital.

Yet despite how obvious Sci's hesitation was, the scarfed skeleton merely chuckled, brushing away his concerns as if they were nothing. "Well, the first few sections are mostly just a warm up for both of us. End of section three or the start of section four is where things really start getting interesting." The tone of voice Geno used practically sent shivers down the other's spine. It seemed so unlike his typical relaxed and cheery self that it took a while for the nerdy skeleton to convince himself that it actually came from Geno. The tone held a dangerous note to it, full of a dark energy that he'd never seen from his usually passive friend.

A loud snapping sound served to bring the bespectacled skeleton back to the present. Yet he was pretty sure he was still in the world of his imagination as his sight was filled with something that couldn't possibly be true. On the field now were several gaster blasters. Summoning a single one of those blasters consumed large amounts of magical energy, and firing it was a whole different story. His initial count was 6 blasters, all charging and preparing to fire. A nervous look to Geno revealed a glint in his eye, yet otherwise he didn't seem any different from the enormous amount of magical energy he was expending. "H-How the hell c-can you summon a-all those?! How d-do you have t-that much m-magic?! Y-Your condition-"

"Does not affect my magic in the slightest, so please don't stress yourself out. I dragged you here to help you relax and unwind a bit, not to get you more worked up."

"... Wait, what?" That last sentence completely threw him off, distracting him from his earlier questions on Geno's magic supply and health.

The scarfed skeleton sighed, not really paying much attention to his friend on the field that was now dodging the energy blasts fired at him. "It was pretty obvious when we ran into you that you were stressing about something. So I figured I could bring you here and distract you for a little bit while giving Cross the workout he's been begging for over the past week. Then, once we're done here, I was thinking we could go to the comic store or something while you vented. Plus I knew you wouldn't mind seeing the two of us use our magic, as you do research that kind of stuff in your spare time."

"... How... how do you do that?" When he received a quizzical look, Sci elaborated. "In the few years I've known you, you somehow always manage to know exactly what's happening and what the best course is. I managed to hide my anxiety problems from the others for years, but then you come in and within a week of us being friends you figured it out. You even managed to find a way to help me, and even now you still keep an eye out for me whenever I seem stressed. It's not just me either, you somehow do it for all of us. I don't... I can't understand how you manage to pull it off."

"Practice makes perfect I guess." The scarfed skeleton shrugged as he gave such a casual answer, yet went rigid a second later. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, not even giving the other a chance to ask what for before Sci felt magic encircling his soul. It wasn't painful, but was definitely uncomfortable, followed by disorienting as he felt his soul yanked to the side and behind Geno, the rest of him following with a yelp of surprise. Not even a second passed once Sci was properly behind the wheelchair before Geno flicked his wrist up, the top half of a large bestial skull appearing in front of both of them and acting like a shield.

As something crashed into their shield, Sci was pretty sure he screamed like a girl, cowering behind Geno's wheelchair in case the magic skull gave in. His friend's laughter was what finally convinced him it was safe to move from his position, allowing him to see the tip of a metal object piercing through the back of the skull. As Geno moved the skull to their side, Sci could now fully see the giant knife embedded in the bone structure, the glint in the edge betraying its sharpness. Meanwhile both Geno and Cross were now giggling at his reaction to the oversized weapon.

"What's the matter Sci? Never seen a knife before?" Cross called out to him as the blade shifted and vanished, the skull holding it dissolving not long after.

"Oh, don't pretend like you weren't trying to be a dick, Cross. We both know you just wanted to scare him." Geno yelled back, rolling his eye as if he hadn't been seconds away from being skewered just a minute ago.

"Not my fault you weren't paying attention!"

Sci looked from one skeleton to the other as he slowly processed what their words truly meant. "W-Wait, _you_ made that knife?!" As if in response, the black and white skeleton called forth another nearly identical blade, tossing it about effortlessly in one hand while the scientist was left baffled. "B-But, skeletons make bones, n-not knives! I don't even know a monster whose magic naturally takes that form!"

"What can I say? Neither of us have ever claimed to be 'normal'. Just consider this one of my many quirks." The knife Cross held was tossed into the air, the tip of the knife landing gracefully on the black and white skeleton's finger as if it were nothing but a feather. He made balancing the razor sharp weapon look easy as in his other hand he summoned another knife, tossing it into the air repeatedly and catching it without even looking.

"Well Gen, I say it's time you stopped holding back, seeing as how you've only got two sections left." As Cross spoke he crossed the threshold into the fourth section, maintaining his actions with the two summoned knives. "Besides, we've got to give Sci here a real show!"

Geno nodded his head in agreeance before craning his neck to see Sci. "Hey Sci, you like gaster blasters, right?" Gulping, the scientist gave a reluctant nod, though immediately regret it as the scarfed skeleton summoned one of the constructs directly underneath him. He shrieked as the skull lifted him up in the air, resulting in him hovering above and behind Geno. "Relax Sci, I'm not gonna drop you! This way if Cross decides to pull another stunt to get my attention, you'll be nowhere nearby. Also, feel free to steer it wherever you want to get a better view, as things are about to get... interesting."

The two skeletons faced each other, both grinning like madmen as their magic was visibly flaring around both of them. From this vantage point, Sci couldn't help but notice something peculiar about their magic. A skeleton's magic often tended towards blue hues due to the gravity magic at their disposal, yet neither Geno nor Cross' magic was perfectly blue. Both had bright crimson hues mingling with the blue. While Cross' magic seemed perfectly split down the middle, half blue and half red, Geno's was quite dynamic, the red in his magic constantly shifting, growing and shrinking randomly. At the moment though the red magic seemed to be more prevalent, growing brighter and more intense with each passing second. As he thought back over his notes and research on magic, Sci tried to place the red colour, yet no monster ever tended to that colour by nature. The only magic that was naturally that colour was determination, a completely human magic that was highly toxic to monsters. That couldn't be what it is though since both of his friends showed no signs of DT poisoning, characterized by the monster's magic actually attacking their physical body and causing it to melt and break apart.

Before Sci could even think of anything else for the magic to be, Cross lunged forward with incredible speed, both the knives he was playing with earlier now firmly in his grasp. Geno was quick to respond, a wall of bones jutting up from the ground as half a dozen gaster blasters were summoned in seemingly random positions. The black and white skeleton effortlessly leaped over the barricade, stopping his motion by driving the point of one knife into the ground. As he was practically riding the weapon, bones materialized right in front of him. He used the blade in his other hand, digging it into the bones and using it to propel himself forward parallel to the bones.

By this point the first blaster was charged and ready to fire. The skull construct leaped into action, positioning itself at the end of the maze Geno had formed with his bones. Unaware of what awaited him, Cross kept using his giant knives to safely manoeuvre the bone maze, avoiding touching any of them. The second the black and white skeleton reached the end, the blaster's jaw opened, releasing a beam of pure energy at its target. Now completely boxed in, Cross had nowhere to run, though this didn't seem to faze him. He took one of his knives and drove the point hard into the floor, allowing the blade to intercept the blast. As he held the attack back, Cross summoned a barrage of knives above the blaster, plunging them in and destroying the construct.

Neither wasted any time, Geno immediately sending in the next blaster and several sharpened bones while Cross dashed across the ground, trying to cover as much distance as possible before being intercepted. The bones arranged themselves in circlets, hovering around Cross before all striking at once. The first ring was fairly easy to dodge, as the black and white skeleton rolled on the ground while they hit nothing but air. Seeing this, Geno aimed the next round for Cross' ankles, forcing said skeleton into the air in order to avoid them. Now airborne, it seemed impossible for Cross to dodge the next volley, yet he merely smirked as the sharp points formed around him.

Before Sci could even blink, an equal number of sharp blades formed around the knife-wielding skeleton, mirroring the movement of the bones. The two sets of projectiles collided, taking each other out and leaving Cross without a scratch as he hit the ground running. "You're gonna have to try harder than that Geno, stop holding back or I might finally beat you!"

"Oh, no way in hell am I ruining my perfect record!" With a flick of his wrist, Geno sent two more gaster blasters into motion before snapping his fingers. Within seconds the entire fourth section of the field in front of Cross was filled with bones, barely an inch or two above the ground but close enough that there was no feasible way to pass them without touching one.

The black and white skeleton's eyes grew wide as he came to a complete stop, looking over the white field in front of him in surprise. "Be careful what you wish for I guess," he chuckled, not really paying attention to the three blasters closing in on him. "Fine then, you wanna play that way, then so will I!" Cross snapped his fingers as he jumped into the air over the field, only to land on a gaster blaster of his own, riding it in a similar way to how Sci was using one to observe the match.

Geno seemed unimpressed with the other's decision, sending the other two blasters in as well to intercept. The two constructs came at their target from opposite sides, one aiming for the skeleton and the other aiming for the blaster he was riding. Cross pushed off of his blaster, leaping into the air as one of Geno's weapons passed harmlessly through the air. The other crashed into its target, jaws swinging open to clamp down as if it were prey. With whatever energy was still in the blaster, Cross ordered it to self-destruct, taking out Geno's blaster with it.

The bone covered ground was growing ever closer to the monochrome skeleton. Without wasting a beat, Cross summoned forth another knife, larger than any weapon Sci had ever seen. The blade itself had to at least be twice as tall as the wielder, yet Cross held it effortlessly with a single hand. The ridiculously oversized blade plunged into the ground, standing stiff as its wielder stood on the base of the blade, gripping the handle for support.

The four remaining gaster blasters were now circling, bones forming en masse until there seemed to be no feasible way for Cross to escape without becoming a pin cushion. The black and white skeleton pulled himself up to perch on the tip of the handle, looking like some sort of ninja out of an action movie as he faced down the mass array of magical weaponry before him.

Sci blinked and then Cross was in the air, pushing off the handle and putting a spin on his motion. The four gaster blasters each prepared to fire, yet as Cross was spinning midair he flung four large knives. Each one hit its target, impacting in the center of the bestial skulls and bringing their destruction. Another knife appeared behind Cross' feet, allowing him to push off and dart through one of the hole left in Geno's array by the now destroyed construct. The bones raced forward, each attempting to catch him, however the monochrome skeleton was simply too fast. Any bones that managed to get close were cut away by Cross' knives, a spinning halo of them surrounding him protectively.

As Cross landed he stepped over the threshold, entering the fifth and final region. A cocky smirk was plastered on his face as he called forth two more knives, holding each in one hand as he prepared himself for whatever was coming next. Not an ounce of fatigue was present, despite the incredible feats he'd pulled off just moments ago. "Alright Gen, playtime's over. Now it's time we both got serious, otherwise I might just finally beat you! Now come on, show Sci what you can do and give me all you got!"

The scientist from his elevated perch could see both of his friends quite clearly now that they were so close to each other. He honestly thought Geno would appear unnerved or at least winded from their earlier clash, so he was a little shocked when his chair-bound friend began laughing. It wasn't his normal, happy chuckle either, but something far darker, tinged with a bit of insanity to the point where Sci was beginning to fear Geno had lost it. The scarfed skeleton's grip on the edges of his wheelchair tightened as he pulled his body towards the edge of the chair, almost as if he were going to attempt standing up. Mania danced in his one eye while the glitches covering the other became far more active than Sci had ever seen them, almost allowing him to glimpse what was always so carefully covered underneath.

"You really want me to go all out? Are you sure about that Crossy?" The same manic look that was in his eye coloured his voice, giving it an eerie quality that made Sci unconsciously drift the blaster he was on closer to Cross.

What scared the scientist only served to increase Cross' excitement. "Hell yeah! I haven't seen you this energized in years! No way am I passing up an opportunity to see you fight like this again!"

Geno's fevered laughter grew in volume at the monochrome skeleton's words. "All right then, don't say I didn't warn ya!" The scarfed skeleton threw his left arm straight into the air, magic swirling around it as a veritable armada of gaster blasters began to form behind him. Large sharpened bones filled in the gaps left in the array while the constructs all charged, with smaller boney growths popping up all over the remaining field in a chaotic pattern. Magic use of this scale was beyond anything Sci had ever thought possible, with only boss monsters capable of anything like this. Boss monsters were incredibly rare, as humans feared their incredible power and immortality, so the likelihood of Geno being one of these elusively rare monsters was pretty remote.

"You ready?" Geno's voice served to snap the scientist out of his thoughts, bringing his focus back to the epic battle that was about to unfold. Cross nodded his head, adjusting his stance as he prepared to attempt to reach the end goal, completely unfazed by his friend's ridiculous display of power.

"Let's go then Cro-" Before Geno could finish his statement and launch his assault, a strangled gasping noise tore through his throat, cutting him off. The magic dissipated from his hand as both hands clamped on to the center of his chest. His red and blue eyelight wavered before the socket was shut tightly, face screwed up in pain with more unnatural noises constantly coming from every shuddering breath he took. As his concentration broke, Geno's magic dissipated, all bones and blasters evaporating including the one Sci was currently on. For a minute all the nerdy skeleton could feel was the wind rushing past his face as he began falling. By the time he was aware enough to scream, something had already appeared beneath him to break his fall. Looking down revealed the object to be one of Cross' blasters, gently taking him to the ground before dissipating as well. Both skeletons gave each other a look, ensuring that Sci was okay, before turning their attention back to their friend.

Cross was the first to react, racing across the field to Geno's side. Sci had been closer yet slower to fully comprehend what was going on, resulting in both skeletons making it to their friend at about the same time. By this point the scarfed skeleton was doubled over, clawing at his chest and his one eye flung open in panic. There were still traces of his magic present in the eyelight, but for the most part it had returned to its original white. It was currently restricted to a fraction of its normal size from fear, tears streaming from it relentlessly. Beads of sweat were rolling down his skull as a coughing fit seized him, causing his body to convulse roughly as he struggled to take in air.

"Geno!" Cross' voice somehow managed to come across as both panicked and calm at the same time, the fear for his friend and his need to control the situation mingling in the tone. "Geno I need you to listen to me, okay? I'm gonna lean you back, and I need you to take as deep of a breath as you can."

The monochrome skeleton did as he said he would, causing a strangled cry to come out of Geno's mouth. "H-Hurts..." he managed to croak out before another coughing fit started.

"I know, I know, but you need to do what I tell you to do or it won't go away. Can you take a deep breath for me?" His tone was almost motherly as he soothed the distressed skeleton, rubbing gentle circles on his back to try and encourage him. Geno sucked in as much air as he could, hissing at the pain the action caused, before shakily exhaling. "Alright, that's good, now just keep doing that. Breathe as deeply as you can, okay?"

Sci was completely lost, feeling absolutely useless as he was forced to watch one of his best friends suffering in tremendous pain. He could tell it was bad because the scarfed skeleton had proven himself to have a very high pain tolerance, barely reacting even if his toes were smashed into the table by Blue's careless driving of the wheelchair. Was it because of the sparring, was that what was causing all of this? He knew that was simply too much magic to safely expend, especially given Geno's fragile health. "W-What's h-happening? C-Can I do a-anyt-thing to h-help?" Despite his best efforts, the nerdy skeleton couldn't keep his worry and fear out of his voice.

"Relax Sci, Geno will be fine. He's just having an episode, it should pass soon. So long as he doesn't start coughing up blood we should be good." As he said that he continued rubbing their friend's back, whispering words of encouragement to him that seemed to be helping, the other's breathing slowly becoming less laboured. "This just happens sometimes if he gets too worked up. Guess that's my fault though."

Before Sci could probe for more details, a shaky hand came up to rest on Cross' hand currently on Geno's shoulder. "N-Not... y-your f-fault..." While his voice was far from its regular strength, it was significantly better than the croak he'd managed earlier.

Knowing that the two of them would continue to play the blame game indefinitely, Sci interrupted them before they could get started. "S-So it wasn't b-because of the insane amount of m-magic you used?" Both skeletons shook their head in response, Cross clarifying that it was caused by an intense emotional outburst. In other words, Geno had gotten too excited and his weak soul simply couldn't take it.

A few more minutes passed in tense silence before Geno's breathing even out, the skeleton slumping back into his chair as his eye socket fluttered close. Sci would've thought that he passed out were it not for a murmured 'I'm good' that came from him. His head tilted back just a bit so that his tired gaze could see Cross. "Sorry for ruining your training session."

The black and white skeleton merely shook his head. "Don't be sorry, it's not something you can control after all. Besides, even if our session was cut short, it's still way better than anything this stupid arena can manage to offer me." The scarfed skeleton chuckled a bit, however the action seemed to cause a small coughing fit, throwing both skeletons on edge again. When it finally settled down, Cross immediately started moving the wheelchair. "Yep, I think we're done for today." Another muttered apology came from Geno, causing Cross to laugh.

Sci however couldn't get his nerves to relax quite yet. His friend was quick to notice, sending him a tired smile. "I'm fine Sci, honestly. Just a little tired, these episodes always seem to leave me pretty drained. Once I get home I'll just take a nap and I'll be good as new."

"If you're sure, then I guess you two should go-"

"Nope, we're going to the comic store, remember? After all, my plan to make you relax is royally backfiring right now as now you're just worrying about me. So, we're gonna drop your books off, we're gonna go to the store, and you're going to stop worrying about me dammit."

"Heh, looks like momma Geno told you what's happening Sci. Can't argue with him now." Cross piped up from behind the chair-bound skeleton, earning a glare from the nickname. To be fair, almost everyone in their little friend group had called him momma Geno at some point, as he often acted motherly in one way or another to pretty much all of them. Cross however was the only one brave enough to call Geno by that nickname to his face, as somehow their typically weak friend could be absolutely terrifying if he wanted to be. His earlier display of magic served to further cement that fear in the scientist.

Lucky for the taller skeleton, Geno only rolled his eye and groaned. "Shut up, I'm too tired to put up with your stupid shenanigans."

"Ooh, looks like momma's mad~"

Geno flipped him off, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, fuck you too." The nerdy skeleton couldn't help but burst out laughing at their brotherly exchange.

Since Sci lived in campus, it wasn't a long trip to his apartment to drop off all his research journals. Again he tried to step out so Geno could go home and rest, but the scarfed skeleton had been insistent, refusing to leave until Sci agreed to go. By this point the sun had nearly set, though the three skeletons were quite careful to stick to well-lit and highly travelled roads.

The first part of their trip was spent in silence, as the nerdy skeleton was too busy replaying his friends' battle in his mind to be talkative. Both had displayed insane power, with Cross possessing magic no monster should have and Geno' power far beyond what he should have been capable of. That wasn't even including the red magic they both possessed, and how both hinted at there being several similar battles in the past between the two, with Geno somehow winning every one of them. While the chance to experience real magic firsthand was amazing, it only left more questions about easily the two most secretive friends he had.

A boney hand waving in front of his face dragged the scientist out of his thoughts and back to reality. "There ya are, we've been calling to you for at least a minute now. Where do you go inside that massive brain of yours?" Cross teasingly knocked on Sci's skull, earning a bit of laughter from Geno as the nerdy skeleton tried to get him to stop.

"Sorry, guess I just spaced out. What did you want?"

"I just wanted to know what you thought of today's earlier demo, minus the whole me collapsing part." Geno's eye shined with curiosity in the dark as he eagerly anticipated the other's answer. That question served to bring the other skeleton's gaze down on Sci as well, equally as curious of the answer.

"W-Well, if I'm being honest, it was pretty cool to see real magic instead of just reading about it, though I got to admit both of you kind of baffle me with what you can do. I've never heard of any monster producing knives, and I really don't get how you have such an insane amount of magic at your disposal Geno, much less how you were trained to use it with your... condition." Sci couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth, the desire for answers was simply too great.

Geno shot him a look at his statement. "I haven't always been stuck in this stupid chair, you know."

"N-No, I don't, not really." He knew that his next words would be like poking a sleeping bear, but once again he couldn't hold back. "I mean you two have been pretty tight lipped about anything to do with your past, so none of us really know what either of you were like before we met you."

The scarfed skeleton's expression fell as he nervously tried to come up with an explanation. When nothing seemed to come up, Cross came to his rescue. "Look, our past isn't something we exactly like thinking about. It's not pleasant, and we wouldn't want to burden any of you with that knowledge. Besides, I'm pretty sure neither of us want to even think about it if we don't have to." Geno nodded his head in agreeance. "Please understand Sci, it's not that we don't want to tell you guys, it's just..." he trailed off, looking for the right words as Sci realized the mistake he made.

"N-No, it's okay, really. I'm sorry for bringing it up, even though you've both said before you don't want to talk about it." Neither really reacted to his apology, his guilt resulting in another vomit of words as he tried to fix his mistake. "I-I mean, the past is the past, right? And we're in the present, so no sense in looking back at it when we can look forward instead. If you guys don't want to talk about it, then that's fine, it's your choice after all. Just know that if you ever _do_ decide to share, all of us will be more than happy to listen." While he wasn't quite sure if what he said made any sense, it did manage to get Geno at least to giggle a bit. Cross' mood quickly picked up after that.

"It's alright Sci. We both completely understand that you're all curious, you especially Mr. Scientist, so we promise that when we do feel like sharing, we'll go to you guys first. Deal?" The scarfed skeleton held out his hand, Sci quickly shaking it with a smile to seal the deal. "Now then, enough about our depressing past that we don't want to talk about, how about you start telling us what's been eating you instead?"

That simple question launched a rant that lasted the rest of their walk to the comic store. Ranging everything from classes to coworkers to cafeteria selections, the scientist took full advantage of the opportunity to vent that he was given.

"... And then it crashed all over the floor! Hundreds of tiny little pieces now everywhere!"

"What did you do?"

"What do you think? I grabbed a bag of chips from the vending machine and proceeded to watch him try to find every piece and reassemble it!"

Geno burst out laughing at Sci's response. "Oh my god, that's so cruel!"

Cross was snickering as well. "Nah, he totally deserved that. What would've been cruel is if you filmed him trying to fix his mess." When a light blush decorated the scientist's cheeks and he failed to respond, both of them burst out laughing again. "Oh my god you totally did!"

"Well, I needed _something_ in case anyone asked why our team was behind schedule. I was _not_ gonna take the fall for that idiot's mistake."

All three were laughing like crazy, until their chair-bound friend burst into another coughing fit. Both Sci and Cross waited nervously for it to pass, fussing over him and getting the same annoyed response of 'I'm fine' as usual. By the time Geno managed to calm the two of them down, they were now standing at the comic store's front door.

Several colourful displays could be seen from inside the window, with heroes and villains in all sorts of costumes lining the walls. To Sci the store felt quite natural, as he often would spend what little free time his research allowed him in places like this. Cross honestly seemed the most out of place, as the nerdy skeleton had come here with Geno on several occasions. It didn't seem to matter what the medium or genre was, his friend loved to read anything he could get his hands on. It was one of the things that had resulted in the two of them becoming best friends rather quickly, bonding over a shared love of escaping to fictional worlds.

Sci followed Cross as he gently pushed Geno into the store, taking the chair-bound skeleton wherever he wanted to go as nothing in the store really interested him. Meanwhile Sci absentmindedly browsed the shelves, though his thoughts kept wandering back to the other two. Maybe hidden in one of these worlds would be advice on how to discover the secrets his two friends seemed determined to hide, or at least answers to some of the questions resulting from today. He didn't mean to be nosy, but as a scientist he'd been trained to feed his curiosity, to search out answers and solve puzzles. And right now, Cross and Geno were the two biggest puzzles he could find.


	7. Chapter 7

A familiar buzz in Fell's pocket signalled a notification on his phone. Pulling it out revealed a notification on their group chat from Killer. As he swiped open the message, the only words he could mutter were, "Stupid monkey." Killer had sent out a mass message saying that their childish brother had been missing for hours after bailing on their chores. On top of that, Dust apparently wasn't answering his phone, which was strange as Dust never ignored the device, especially if Killer was the one trying to get a hold of him.

The first reply on the chat was from Reaper, complaining that he was busy chasing a bus or something, likely following his soulmate. Error responded shortly after saying that he was just wrapping up his date and could start searching soon, Nightmare sending a similar response and Reaper reluctantly agreeing to do the same. That left himself and Horror, with both of them having assignments to gather whatever they could use. Before either could reply, their leader popped up again instructing both of them to continue their task but keep an eye out for him.

Sighing, Fell pocketed his phone and continued wandering, speculating what kind of trouble the monkey had managed to get himself into. Apparently he'd disappeared around midday, and with the sun now set that meant he'd been missing for 6-7 hours. While the kid was a bit reckless, he certainly wasn't an idiot, at least not enough of one to disappear like that for no reason. The cat daemon shook his head as disturbing thoughts of what could've happened entered his mind. That kind of thinking wouldn't do anything other than freak him out, which wouldn't be helpful for anyone.

Making sure to keep an eye out for the kid, Fell continued his task, which so far had yet to bear any fruit. He'd been told to simply walk about one part of the city, looking for anything of value and listening for anything that might be of interest. So far all he'd heard was nothing more than a bunch of pointless gossip. Given his close proximity to the city's university, he thought for sure that the edgy skeleton might be able to hear something more substantial, perhaps some more intelligent conversations, but that idea seemed to be falling through.

His aimless journey eventually brought him in front of a comic store. While he was very careful to keep his interests and hobbies secret from the other daemons, Fell couldn't deny his interest in the colourful world of comics. They covered nearly any genre and were far more interesting to look at than the boring old books that Reaper loved. Nightmare had given all of them an allowance for personal spending, so it wasn't like he didn't have any money to buy himself a treat. A quick look inside certainly wouldn't hurt even if he was supposed to be looking for information. He'd probably have just as much luck in there as out here for finding something useful.

With this reasoning spurring him onward, he quickly checked his surroundings to make sure none of his brothers were nearby out of habit. None of them would let him live it down if they caught him in a place so 'nerdy'. Determining it safe to proceed, the edgy skeleton opened the door into the store.

He barely heard the bell ring though as his senses were completely consumed with the sight of another skeleton. Their eyelights twinkled with such genuine interest at the colourful little book in their hands, only partially concealed by the glasses taped to their skull. They seemed to give off such a professional and intelligent aura, judging from the lab coat and practical clothes underneath it. Yet all Fell could think was how beautiful they looked, with everything else seeming to fall away from his vision.

Blindly he took a few steps forward, closer to this stranger that had stolen his focus. Yet just as he found himself crossing half the distance, his courage failed and he quickly ducked into one of the many aisles before he was spotted staring. A ruby red dusted his cheeks as Fell slowly came back to reality, trying to calm his furiously beating soul and wondering what the hell that was all about. He'd never reacted like that with anyone before, though to be fair he barely knew anyone outside of his brothers. With them all moving every month or so, the edgy skeleton simply didn't have the luxury of getting to know anyone else.

Sighing, Fell curiously peeked his head around the corner, only for the strange phenomena to happen once again. All he could see was that same skeleton, with everything else becoming nothing but background noise by comparison. He felt the heat in his face growing stronger and stronger, especially when his grip slipped and he knocked a figurine off a shelf. The stranger's head instantly shot up at the noise, yet thankfully Fell's feline reflexes allowed him to catch the figure and return it to its spot before ducking behind the shelf again.

The cat daemon was internally screaming at himself right now for being such a coward. He didn't have a clue what was drawing him to this random stranger, but he did know that if any of the others were here they'd be giving him such a hard time and telling him to man up. Gritting his teeth, Fell spent another couple minutes building up his courage before stepping out, only to see the skeleton walking away and further into the store.

In a panic, Fell flung himself down the aisle, hoping to come out closer to the stranger on the other side. Yet he was so consumed with thoughts of the nerdy looking skeleton that he didn't realize when something moved into his way. He crashed into something solid at the end of the aisle, feeling whatever it was tip over and hit the ground along with him. When his face crashed into the tile floor, it was enough to instantly piss the daemon off. "Hey! Watch where the hell you're going!" He yelled at the driver of whatever he hit, rubbing his sore forehead as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Me?! How about you watch where you're going before you kill someone!" The voice that answered was just as angry as the fallen skeleton, their deep tone bristling in a way that could only remind Fell of Nightmare. Looking up revealed another skeleton, this one dressed in black and white for the most part. His mismatched eyelights stared at the edgy skeleton for a mere second in absolute fury before Fell was roughly pushed out of the way by him.

Before the daemon had a chance to yell again, the stranger had completely forgotten about him, kneeling down in the spot Fell had been a moment ago. "Hey Geno, you alright?" Their tone was instantly softer as they addressed someone else that he couldn't see. Though he felt his soul drop as he realized that the currently overturned wheelchair must've been what he ran into.

Fell shot to his feet, now tall enough to see that the monochrome stranger was kneeling in front of another skeleton. This one was quite different, a crimson scarf and glitch cloud covering his right eye as his most noticeable characteristics. They were currently laying on their side, their one eye clenched shut and teeth gritted as their right arm moved to the shoulder they were currently laying on. "Ow, that hurt," he groaned, trying to shift himself into a sitting position only to hiss at the action. "So much for not stressing Sci out," he murmured in a tone so quiet that the cat daemon doubted that he'd have heard if he had normal hearing.

The monochrome skeleton instantly was fussing over him, gently pulling the other up and checking over the arm the smaller skeleton was now cradling to his chest. "You cracked your arm again, didn't you?" The other skeleton, Geno, turned his head away and refused to answer, instead murmuring. From where he was standing, Fell could just make out the smallest bit of red beginning to stain the scarfed skeleton's white jacket, instantly filling him with regret. He never meant to hurt anyone, yet when he took a step forward to try and apologize, the black and white skeleton seemed to sense his motion. "Don't come anywhere near him!"

The malicious bite to his voice definitely reminded the daemon of his leader. Memories of seeing Nightmare's wrath in person flashed before him, causing him to take a shaky step back. "I-I didn't mean to... I-I'm sorry, let me help-"

"You've done enough!" The stranger wheeled on him, his red eyelight briefly changing shape to a target symbol before he once again shifted his attention away from Fell. While the furious skeleton set to inspecting the wheelchair and returning it to its correct position, Fell hazarded a look at his injured friend. Big mistake.

That single piercing eyelight never wavered as Geno's meticulous gaze bored a hole into him. It felt like the scarfed skeleton could peer right into his very soul, analyzing every bit of information that he could find. It was downright eerie, in a way that reminded the edgy skeleton of Reaper and his mysterious ways. Before Fell could react or look away however, the skeleton's face shifted, a bright smile replacing the cold and calculating expression from before. "Please don't worry sir, I know it was an accident. These things just happen sometimes." The change was so dramatic and his words sounded so genuine that the daemon couldn't help but wonder if he imagined the whole exchange.

That doubt however was quickly laid to rest when the skeleton next spoke. His friend had helped him back into the wheelchair, making sure he was completely comfortable before returning to his position at the chair's handles. "A friendly piece of advice though sir," Geno spoke up, addressing him with that same innocent smile, yet his eye seemed to hold an indescribable darkness to it that sent a chill down his spine. "Not paying attention is often how many people get hurt, or worse." As the two skeletons left, calling their goodbyes to a friend of theirs named Sci that was still shopping, Fell couldn't help but hear a noticeable threat hidden in the 'friendly' advice.

If he was nervous before, Fell was pretty sure he was a complete wreck after that, constantly jumping at little sounds and looking over his shoulder. Yet there was still some small flicker of courage driving him to speak to the skeleton in glasses. Currently it was the only thing keeping him here, though he desperately wanted nothing more than to find some place a little more comforting. Realizing that he'd never talk to anyone in his current state, the edgy skeleton set to finding some comics for him to enjoy later.

As he kept a running total on his phone, Fell decided to leave before he found something else he had to have. He paid the cashier and grabbed his bag, trying to avoid most people in the process. Yet as he stepped outside and into the crisp, evening air, Fell couldn't help but feel like there was a reason for him to stay. Something in there kept pulling him back.

"E-Excuse me," a timid voice piped up from behind him, revealing the same skeleton he'd practically been stalking earlier. A large bag of books and collectibles were clutched securely in his arms as he tilted his gaze up just a bit to look at him. While Fell was by far the shortest out of all of his brothers, this skeleton was still an inch or two shorter than him.

Realizing he'd not only been blocking the way but staring at him while blushing, the cat daemon quickly stepped to the side, muttering apologies as the colour on his face deepened. He risked a quick glance down, only to see green splashed across the other's face in a similar manner. With the awkwardness of the whole situation growing too much for either of them, both spun on their heels and walked the opposite direction. Only for both to turn back and look at the other a few seconds later.

No matter what he did, Fell couldn't get that adorable nerdy skeleton out of his head, his mind practically screaming at him to follow... so he did, like a creepy stalker. It wasn't the first time the daemon had tailed someone, so he at least knew how to do it without getting caught or losing him. Still, while part of his mind was congratulating him for taking initiative and going after the skeleton, the other half was busy condemning his cowardly action. Why couldn't he just talk to the guy like a normal person? Why couldn't he be as smooth as Reaper or as confident as Nightmare? Why was he screwing this up and acting like a creep?

Even with his mind whirling as much as it was, his senses were still constantly scanning his surroundings, keeping tabs on his 'target' and anything threatening or important. This was a talent that Error had seen to him developing, since as a mountain cat daemon his senses were sharper than almost everyone else's. No matter what was going on in the maelstrom of his mind, the part that registered incoming sensory information always remained crystal clear and diligently focussed on its task.

That's how he was able to notice that he wasn't the only one following the nerdy skeleton. When his mind latched onto this detail, all self-deprecating thoughts vanished as he focused on this new threat. They appeared to be a human male, judging from their build and movements. For the most part they seemed to be harmless, though the twitchy movements and constant fiddling in their pocket set his instincts alight with warning signs. It was a moment like this that Fell sincerely wished Dust was around, as the kid had become very good at reading people and situations as their scout.

The human was steadily gaining on his target, with Fell steadily gaining on him. This continued until the man got close enough to grab the smaller skeleton, clamping one hand on his shoulder and another over his mouth to stifle the inevitable scream before yanking him into a nearby alley. What surprised Fell the most is how the people milling about didn't seem to notice. Either that, or they didn't care, simply because it was just some monster. Mumbling about 'racist pricks', the edgy skeleton booked it to the alley he last saw them disappear down.

Of course they weren't there, having gone deeper into the dark maze between buildings for some privacy. Luckily for Fell, smell and sound were what he often relied on, not sight. He focused on those senses, narrowing down the various lingering odors until something fresh hit him. The smell reminded him of a bad mixture of alcohol and drugs, likely explaining the man's twitchy behaviour and fidgeting. Following the scent, he kept listening closely until a muffled cry for help reached his sensitive ears.

Rounding the corner of where the sounds and smell led him, the cat daemon saw the nerdy skeleton pinned against a wall, tears streaming down his face as he clawed at the hands currently pinning and muffling him. The human leered down at him, a crazed look in his eyes as he removed his right hand from the monster's shoulder. It slipped into his pocket, returning with a small metal blade that made the other instantly go rigid in fear.

Before the man could bring the knife any closer or speak, Fell abandoned all common sense and shouted at the man to stop. Both sets of eyes were instantly on him, one full of relief and the other full of annoyance. "Can I help you?" The man addressed him, pointing the knife in his direction as he did so. Realizing how stupid of a mistake he just made, Fell unconsciously took a few steps back. The human grinned at this, flashing broken and rotting teeth. "That's what I thought. You fucking monsters are all just a bunch of cowards."

That did it. He could take a lot of verbal abuse, but the one word he could never stand being called was 'coward'. Sure he seemed to call himself one all the time, but it was a whole different story if someone else did it. Horror had been the first and last one in the group to make that mistake, as the cat daemon had practically gone feral as he lashed out with both kicks and claws.

It took every ounce of willpower the edgy skeleton had to keep from changing forms right there, knowing that revealing himself now would be the stupidest mistake ever. Yet there was no way he'd hold himself completely back as red consumed his vision and his body moved without instruction. Boney fingers clamped around the first thing they could get their hands on, which was the bag of comics he'd bought earlier. While the majority of the small books were flimsy and practically weightless, there had been a particular collector's edition compilation he'd bought that was hardcover.

Tapping into his predatory instincts, the skeleton made no sound to announce his presence, instead silently racing behind the man with the thick book bag raced menacingly. The man never even got a chance to turn around before Fell jumped up and put all his weight and force through the books and into the back of his head. The human's body instantly went limp, releasing the smaller skeleton and collapsing to the ground, completely knocked out.

"That's what you get for calling me a fucking coward!" He spat at the man's unconscious form, quite tempted to take another few shots at him while he was down. Fell probably would've, were it not for the set of terrified eyelights staring directly at him. When he turned to face the other, they shrunk back with a squeak, pressing their slim body against the brick wall behind them. Realizing just how angry he still was, Fell turned away a bit and took a couple calming breaths, forcing himself to relax before turning back to face the terrified skeleton.

Though it was clear that simply calming himself down wasn't going to be enough. The smaller skeleton had slid down the wall, curled in a ball and hyperventilating. The tears continued to flow from his unfocused and terrified eyes as he wrapped his arms around himself in a vain attempt to provide a sense of comfort. They were symptoms that Fell was all too familiar with, ones he had dealt with many times before meeting his new family. The poor guy was having a panic attack.

Fell rushed to the other's side, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible. "Hey it's okay, I promise I won't hurt ya. Now, do you have any meds? To help calm ya down?" Despite his current condition, the panicking skeleton was aware enough to nod his head, gesturing with a shaky hand to the messenger bag he had. The daemon took that as permission and began rooting through the contents, taking care not to damage any of the items present, including all the new comics that had been moved into the leather bag.

Once he found the small prescription bottle, he read the label for instructions before handing him a single small pill. The nerdy skeleton took care of that while Fell made sure to return the pill bottle to where he found it. While they both waited for the pill to take effect, the edgy skeleton sat beside him, keeping watch for any other possible threats and trying to offer a sense of comfort and security to the smaller.

As the smaller skeleton's breathing evened out and the crying was reduced to a few sniffles, Fell hesitantly and against his better judgement wrapped an arm around his new companion. Surprisingly he didn't freak out, actually relaxing more into the sideways hug as the nerdy skeleton leaned against the other. Leaving Fell to be the one internally screaming instead as he had no idea what to do in this situation. With no other ideas, he just decided to try and comfort the smaller skeleton as best as he could, rubbing along the other's arm in a gentle manner.

"T-Thanks," he whispered to Fell, startling the edgy skeleton slightly at the sudden lack of silence. "F-For saving me, a-and t-this... h-how did you know I-I needed help?" A set of large and curious eyes stared up at him, which when combined with the slight stutter only served to make the nerdy skeleton seem even more adorable to the other.

"O-Oh, well... when I saw that guy grab ya, I just, you know, did what was right." His response came out far less convincing than he hoped as he skirted around the whole truth.

Unfortunately, the other skeleton was far too observant. "But... didn't I run into you outside of the comic store? And you went the other way..." His gaze shifted from curious to calculating, causing Fell's nervousness to spike through the roof as he was caught. Rubbing the back of his skull, the daemon was pretty sure that his face was on fire as he admitted to following the other. When asked for a reason, he could only shrug as he honestly didn't know himself.

"W-Well, I-I guess it's a g-good thing you did... um, did I e-ever catch your name?" The smaller's face was lit up in a bright emerald hue, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the idea of being saved by a stalker.

"Oh, it's Fell."

"I'm Sci." Sci? Where had he heard that name before? His thoughts were spinning as he tried to place it, only to freeze as he remembered. He was the friend of those two skeletons, the angry guy and the scary guy. If following him was bad enough, what would he do if he found out Fell hurt his friend? Even if it was an accident, someone who accidently killed someone was still guilty of murder.

A slight movement beside him served to drag Fell out of his self-induced spiral. Looking over, Sci was clearly shivering, snuggling closer to the other for warmth. While he didn't feel the chill, his dark leather jacket served to keep it out. Without even thinking he slipped it off, draping it over the other's shoulders. Sci looked up at him, silently asking what he was doing. "You seemed cold, so I figured I'd let you borrow my jacket. I've still got this sweater, so I'm good." He scratched a bit at his cheek, blushing at his own actions. "W-Wanna go somewhere? I-I mean, l-like a café that's not as cold or creepy as this alley?"

The smaller skeleton seemed to ponder the idea for a bit before agreeing. "I guess I'm already out later than I expected to be, and I _really_ don't want to stay here any longer. Sure, let's go. I know someplace nearby where we can warm up."

"Wait really? You're agreeing to go with me? Even after I... you know, was kind of a creep?" The words tumbled out of Fell's mouth before he could stop them, resulting in him mentally kicking himself for reminding the other and ruining the moment.

Contrary to what he expected though, Sci just laughed off his nervous question. "I'll admit, I never thought I'd be the type to be stalked, so I definitely wasn't expecting it. But you pretty much saved my life, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't grateful. My mother always said that things happen for a reason, even though as a scientist I can't place my trust in something as flimsy as that. Still though, maybe something like that brought us together?" His face practically beamed with a genuine smile, making Fell's soul flutter in his chest.

While crimson spread on one face, emerald followed shortly after on the other as he realized the implications of what he just said. "O-Oh gosh, d-did I... I-I'm s-sorry, I-I didn't mean a-anything, I just..." He trailed off, too flustered to do anything but bury his hands in his face.

"Hey it's okay, I know what you meant. Besides, am I really in a place to judge after stalking you?" Both skeletons burst out laughing, the nervous tension between them suddenly gone. Fell helped his new friend to his feet, checking his bag of comics for damage while the other did the same. When both were satisfied, Sci slipped his arms through Fell's jacket, grabbing the other's arm as the daemon led them both out of the alleys.

While he was quite aware of the fact that Sci was holding his arm in a way typically beyond friends, he tried his best to ignore it and instead asked the nerdy skeleton some questions about himself. As the two chatted they found themselves to have a surprising amount in common, especially in their interests. While Fell didn't really understand all the sciencey stuff the other worked on, he couldn't help but be captivated by Sci's passion and complete command over knowledge in his fields, finding himself wanting to know more regardless of his lack of understanding.

Before he even realized it, the two had reached their destination, with the time absolutely flying. He'd never felt so comfortable around someone, with him having to hide most of his interests from his brothers to avoid ridicule. But Sci made him feel somewhat normal, accepted for who he really was. He didn't have to hide his emotions and always act like an edgy and angry asshole to get some respect. And it made him feel happy to see Sci was also relaxing throughout their conversation, becoming more open with who he really was as well.

They stepped into the small café, relishing the instant warmth and pleasant smells that greeted them. Fell made no move to take his jacket back, instead asking the other what he wanted. Grabbing them both some coffee and some random donuts that looked good, the pair went to find a seat, only for both to stop dead in their tracks upon seeing someone they recognized. "Dust/Blue?" Both called out to their respective friends at the same time, resulting in the same surprised reaction from the two skeletons already sitting down at a table full of sweets.

"Fell/Sci!" The pair of hyper skeletons called out in response simultaneously before looking at each other and bursting into giggles. The scientist beside him seemed worried about his friend, instantly going over and checking on him. Meanwhile Fell was debating whether to tell the others right away where Dust was or give him a chance to explain.

The monkey daemon must've picked up on what his brother was thinking about, because he rushed over with a pleading look in his eyes. "Please Fell, for the love of god don't tell Nightmare I bailed on the chores he gave me."

The edgy skeleton could only snort in laughter at the other's begging. "I don't have to, because Killer already did. Told us all you disappeared hours ago and that he was worried sick. So congratulations, you had pretty much everyone looking for your dumb ass."

Dust seemed completely shocked by this, hurriedly looking through his pockets for his phone only grimace at the sight. "Shit, I am so dead. That's it, Nightmare's gonna kill me and use my body as a doormat, I'm so screwed."

Seeing the terror in the younger skeleton sent a pang of empathy through the cat daemon, causing him to, once again against his better judgement, offer assistance. "You know, if you told me why you were gone for so long I might be able to help." While Dust's eyes quickly lit up and sparkled with hope, that faltered a bit as he sheepishly looked over at the blue-clad skeleton that Sci was scolding for some reason.

The longer Dust stared at the small blue skeleton, the more his emotions shifted, showing a fondness and happiness that Fell had never seen on him. "What if I said I think I found my soulmate?"

"Wait, really?" He received a nod in answer. "How... how do you know?"

"Well, I've only known Blue for a few hours, but those hours have been some of the happiest of my life. We get along perfectly, and he accepts even some of the not so nice parts of me. I can't find a single fault with him, plus he's adorable, just look!" The cat daemon did look, but didn't seem to find the little skeleton to be anything special. He was so childish, practically bouncing up and down as he spoke with Sci. Besides, he thought that Sci's more mature nature and slightly timid tendencies were far cuter than the loud and slightly obnoxious blue ball of energy. Come to think of it, most of what Dust just described seemed to reflect his own experiences with Sci so far.

When Dust followed the other's gaze, a devilish smirk crossed his face. "Looks like I'm not the only one, eh Fell?"

Realizing he was caught staring at the scientist, the edgy skeleton's face exploded in blush while he attempted to stutter a protest. "W-We're just f-friends." That was the truth... right?

"Oh come on you grumpy old cat, you never make friends! You're always too cautious and nervous to talk to anyone. Hell, you have worse trust issues than Nightmare, and that's saying something. Kills and I have made friends in nearly every place we ever stayed at for more than a few days, even if we were never going to see them again. But you just stayed away from everyone, complaining about moving all the time but not doing anything. So I find it hard to believe that this guy, who's wearing your jacket that you never give to anyone I might add, is 'just a friend'."

There were two things the cat daemon wanted desperately to do at that moment. The first was to tell Dust off and say he was wrong, and the second was to punch the younger skeleton in the face. However he couldn't do either of those, partially because he was in public, but mostly because the damn monkey was right. So instead, he did the scariest thing he could think of. "You know, I wonder what Nightmare would say if he found out you got everyone worried about you while you were just over here doing nothing."

That worked, as Dust instantly froze at the threat, trying to apologize and say it wasn't necessary. Fell would've continued to let him grovel for a bit, but was interrupted by a small tug on his sleeve. Looking over revealed a tired looking Sci with Blue in tow, as if it took all his energy to calm the hyper skeleton down. "Sorry Fell, but I think I need to go. I gotta get Blue home to his brother before all the stupid sugar he ate kicks in."

"Sci I'm fine," Blue whined, trying to tug his hand out of the other's grip. "I didn't even eat that much, plus Dusty said it was fine."

"Yeah, well 'Dusty' doesn't know how bad you get on sugar. Now quit complaining." As he snapped at Blue, the scientist shot Dust a deadly glare, resulting in an audible gulp from him and a small chuckle from Fell. As Blue marched outside with a pout, the edgy skeleton felt his own face fall a bit at the idea of Sci leaving so soon. "I'm really sorry, but it seems all my friends like to be idiots every once in a while."

Fell shook it off, flashing a toothy grin at the other. "Nah it's okay, I gotta deal with my own idiot anyways." He jerked his head in Dust's direction, who had followed Blue outside and was now engaged in a very animated conversation with the smaller skeleton. Sci chuckled a bit at the comment, before taking Fell's jacket off and handing it back to him.

As soon as he slipped the familiar piece of fabric back on, the daemon was surprised as Sci's arms wrapped around him in a hug. "Thanks again for saving me. I don't know what would've happened to me if you weren't there." Fell out of his initial shock enough to return the hug, a fuzzy feeling invading his body from the contact. The sensation was gone all too soon as Sci broke off the hug, pulling back and adjusting his glasses with a bashful smile. "Well, until we meet again, take care of yourself, Fell."

"Heh, you too Sci. See ya later." With that Sci left, pulling a whining Blue away from Dust and heading in the direction of the college campus. Not wanting it to be awkward, Fell waited a bit before stepping out to meet a pouting Dust, clearly not happy about Blue's forced departure.

Without speaking to Dust, Fell started walking back home, hearing hurried footsteps behind him that ensured the younger daemon wasn't doing something stupid like running after the other two. He pulled out his phone and went to the group chat, letting the others know that he found Dust and was heading home with him. From the groan he heard coming from behind him, Fell could only guess that without Blue around to distract him, Dust was back paying attention to his phone only to see the message he posted and the responses their brothers were posting.

"Why did you tell them? I could've just randomly shown up or something."

"What part of 'you had everyone worried' did you not get? Pretty sure Killer thinks a hunter got ya at this point. No, you made your choice, now deal with the consequences."

"Oh shut up Mr. I'm into Nerds."

As much as Fell wanted nothing more than to strangle the kid for that comment, he was more distracted by the realization that he had no way of contacting Sci in the future. The pair had wandered off in the direction of campus, but there was no guarantees he'd find them there. He at least knew Sci was a student and researcher there, and that he lived in the dorms, but that wouldn't be enough info to find him without looking like a creepy stalker again!

Before his train of thought could get any worse, the phone in his grip buzzed as a new message popped up from a contact he never added. The screen was displaying a message from Sci. _Hey Fell, I realized when we were in the café that we never exchanged numbers. I know it's kind of forward of me, but I hope you don't mind that I put my contact into your phone. It was in the jacket you lent me, so I just kind of... yeah. Anyways, let me know if you ever want to hang out or go to the comic store and I'll let you know when I'm free. :)_

He read the message over a couple of times, allowing his initial panic to fade before sending a reply. _I don't mind, I'm glad you remembered cuz I totally forgot lol. But yeah, I'll let you know, looking forward to it._ Once he got a smiley face in response, Fell put the device back in his jacket pocket, a smile of his own tugging at his lips. Maybe Dust was right, maybe he had managed to find his soulmate.

"Somebody's in love~" The monkey daemon piped up from behind him. Turning around, the edgy skeleton's smile twisted into a frown at the kissy faces the other was making.

"And somebody's gonna be dead when Nightmare finds out what you were doing," Fell hissed, seeing the other's teasing immediately stop as he once again tried to beg for mercy. That begging continued for most of the trip back home, until Dust eventually gave up and went back to his phone. Judging from the goofy grin on his face, he was likely texting Blue. Feeling his fingers curl around his own phone, Fell was pretty sure that once he got home, he wouldn't be able to keep from messaging Sci either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Fell being a closet nerd to avoid ridicule just makes Scifell so much better in my opinion. Still don't know whether I think Dustberry or Scifell is cuter right now though.
> 
> Three ships down, four to go!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains themes of depression and suicide.
> 
> Please read at your own discretion.

Once again Dream found himself wandering around the food court, looking for the familiar blue hand sticking up to wave him over to their table. Milling about, the golden skeleton checked all of their usual spots but found no sign of Blue, Ink, or anyone else. As the number of people running around started getting to be too much, Dream pushed his way out of the crowd and along the outskirts where he could actually breathe.

He pulled out his phone, sending a text to Blue asking where he was. As soon as he put the phone back in his pocket, a hand fell on his shoulder, causing him to jump and shriek from the surprise contact. Whirling around, Dream found himself wielding his wrap like a weapon and holding his tray like a shield. Yet he instantly relaxed seeing that the person who'd startled him was Geno.

He was standing on his own for the first time since he last left the hospital, albeit with the assistance of his cane that he was heavily leaning on. It was also the first time he'd been seen on campus around lunch since then, meaning he was likely all caught up and ready to go back to class. His hand was still partially outstretched, though he pulled it back a bit as Dream's panicked face met his own. "Easy Dream, didn't mean to spook ya. You can put the wrap down now though."

Realizing he was still holding his lunch as if it were a knife, he giggled a bit before putting it back on his tray before giving the other a hug. "It's great to see you Geno! I've missed seeing you around the past few weeks. But, shouldn't you be at home resting?" He felt a little nervous with how Geno was relying so much on his cane. Even though the dark piece of carved wood could easily support his small weight, Dream couldn't help but worry about the other, especially with how he still seemed a bit shaky.

"I feel fine Dream, honest! Look!" To emphasize his point, Geno shifted his position so that he was no longer using the cane. He managed to stand like that for a few seconds before his one leg began to violently shake as if it were about to buckle. In a panic the golden skeleton raced forward, supporting the other before he could properly fall. "Okay, maybe sitting down wouldn't be a bad idea," he relented, chuckling a bit as he regained his balance with the cane. "So, where is everyone sitting?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I already checked most of our usual spots but nobody's there. I sent a text to Blue right before you scared me, so hopefully he'll be able to tell me where he is soon." Just as he said that, his phone vibrated. Pulling it out revealed a message from Blue. _Sorry, running late, save me a seat._ "Speak of the devil, looks like Blue didn't manage to get us a seat."

"Wait really? But Blue's always the first one here, he always grabs our table."

"Not recently though." Looking over, Dream wasn't the least bit surprised by the look of confusion on Geno's face. "Guess you have missed a lot, huh. Let's see if I can sum up all the important bits. About a week and a half ago, Ink got a boyfriend, spent the first week practically ignoring us while glued to his phone, and now he's just gone completely. And Blue started running late and getting distracted by everything around the end of last week. He says he made some new friend and that's why he's always running late. Plus I'm pretty sure something happened to Sci too, since he's been almost as spacy as Ink recently." He looked back over the past week, trying to make sure there was nothing he was forgetting. "I think that's pretty much it."

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said I missed a lot," Geno chuckled.

"Yeah, you kinda did," Dream laughed with him until a thought pinged in the back of his head. "Oh yeah, where's Cross?"

"Oh, he's just off grabbing our lunches, didn't want me trying to fight my way through the crowds just yet. He should be here soon... oh there he is!" The scarfed skeleton waved his hand in the air, flagging down their taller friend who briskly walked over with two trays of food. One with a healthy salad and protein shake, the other stocked with a burger and some pizza that were pure calories. It was obvious which tray was for who, as Cross kept to a very healthy diet to maintain his physique and Geno needed a lot of calories to make up for his low energy reserves.

"Heya Dream," Cross said, nodding his head to the instantly flustered skeleton while he thankfully remained blissfully unaware. As Dream stuttered out a greeting in response, Cross was about to ask a question before they were interrupted.

"I'm here!" Blue yelled at the three of them, running at full speed only to come to a dead stop. He stood there for a moment catching his breath, breathing heavily as he rested his hands on his knees. About a minute passed before the hyper skeleton hopped to his feet, his earlier fatigue almost non-existent as he excitedly asked, "So, where's our table?"

Dream sighed, about to explain before Cross spoke up. "Lust and Sci are wondering where we are. What should I tell them?"

"Tell them to meet us here since we don't have anywhere to sit I guess." The monochrome skeleton shrugged his shoulders and set to replying to the message while Blue shot Dream a questioning look at his annoyed response. When he asked why they didn't have a table, the golden skeleton couldn't keep from snapping, frustrations from the past few days boiling over and out of his mouth. "Because you're always the one who gets us a table! None of us can get here fast enough to get one that's big enough for all of us. You never seemed to have an issue getting here before all of us in the past, so what happened?"

The childish skeleton seemed a bit taken aback by the harsh tone used, responding in a far more timid manner. "I told you, I met someone and I keep talking to him. He's just so much fun to talk to that I get sidetracked."

At this point Sci and Lust had managed to find them, wandering over with their lunches in tow. Though they clearly were not expecting to see Dream and Blue having an argument as they looked to Cross in confusion. No one seemed to notice however the winded expression on their weakest friend's face, how his struggles to stand were becoming more pronounced. "Oh, so because you met some random guy that we know nothing about, you're gonna just show up and expect us to be able to find a seat for you?"

Now Blue was starting to get angry as well. "Well why do I always have to be the one to get our table? You all took it for granted that I had time to do that every day, but now that I don't you get mad at me? Since when is it my job to get our table?"

"Then don't show up here and expect us to have found one already!"

They went back and forth for a while, neither one backing down as the argument slowly got worse between the two friends. They would've kept going even longer, but eventually Cross shouted, "Enough!" The anger in his voice was crystal clear, stalling both of them as they looked over, only to be filled with guilt. In Cross' arms was a heavily breathing Geno, eye closed and leaning against the taller skeleton as he was unable to stand any longer on his own. "Geno needs to sit. Now. So I suggest you two stop bickering and start actually _looking_ for a damn table!" Not wanting to anger Cross further or make Geno wait any longer, both Dream and Blue raced off to find a place to sit.

With the two looking, it wasn't long till they managed to find something that could work, even though they had to grab two random chairs from elsewhere in order for them all to have a place to sit. Cross helped to move their weak friend into one of the nicer chairs, allowing him to lean back in the soft seat and rest while the monochrome skeleton fussed over him as usual.

_You did this to him. If you had kept your mouth shut you could've found a table before Geno needed it. What kind of selfish excuse for a friend are you?_

_Did you see how angry Cross was? You did that too with your selfishness. You hurt the person that he cares about the most, still think you have a chance with him?_

_On top of all of that you managed to get into an argument with Blue! He's been one of your best friends since childhood and is one of the nicest people you know, and you still managed to get him mad. Congrats, that takes some serious talent to screw up that bad!_

Shaking his head, Dream tried his best to block out the voices as he took a seat. He made sure to leave the better ones for the others, taking one of the random chairs they grabbed that kind of forced him to sit on the outskirts of the table. It wasn't like his wrap really needed the table anyways.

After that, lunch calmed down considerably. Geno was able to recover and dive into his food, though Cross still kept a close eye on him. Lust was teasing both Blue and Sci about their mysterious new friends, while Blue and Sci seemed unwilling to part with any significant details. That left Dream, quietly eating his lunch while watching his friends chat amongst themselves.

_Wow, they're acting as if you're not really here. Guess they wouldn't miss you that much if you actually disappeared._

**_Why are you still here? It's obvious they don't want you around. Just save them all the trouble of dealing with you and go kill yourself._ **

He couldn't help but gasp a bit, as that was the first time any voice had ever suggested suicide. And such a distinct voice too, one he'd never heard before. It was almost sweet and inviting, yet there was a dark undertone to it, unsurprising given the words it had spoken. Was that a sign he was getting worse? Should he tell someone?

"Dream?" Said skeleton snapped his head up, only to be met with Geno's worried gaze. His frail friend hadn't gotten up yet, but was as close to Dream as his chair would allow. "Is everything alright?"

No, he couldn't tell anyone. This was his problem, his burden to bear. If he told any of his friends, then word would eventually get back to Geno, and that would just lead to the scarfed skeleton worrying about him and trying to help until it landed him back in the hospital, or worse. Besides, this wasn't really something any of them could help with. Shaking his head, Dream put on the best smile he could manage. "Oh don't worry, I'm fine. I just remembered I have an assignment due tomorrow that I haven't started." It wasn't like similar things hadn't happened in the past, he just hoped that he'd been believable enough with his lie to possibly fool even his extremely observant friend.

While Geno didn't appear convinced, Blue saved him the trouble of coming up with a better excuse. "Oh, is that so? Well then, perhaps I should host a group study session at my house tonight! My brother will be out with friends so we'll have the place to ourselves all night! Everyone can come and we can work on homework and eat dinner and have fun! It'll be great! What do you say?"

"Everyone's invited? Does that include your new friend?" Lust leaned over, smirking as he used this new plan as a perfect excuse to continue pestering Blue.

A bright blue blush erupted on the energetic skeleton's cheeks as he tried to find a way around Lust's comment. Thankfully Sci stepped in, providing an excuse. "Well, he's not a student right? He probably wouldn't get much out of a study session, but I'd definitely be interested."

Beaming, Blue looked to Lust who quickly agreed as well, before turning his attention to the three remaining skeletons. Now Dream realized just what he'd gotten himself into. He couldn't say no, not when Blue had come up with the idea because of his lie. So Dream found himself congratulating Blue for a great idea, silently hoping that Geno wouldn't be able to come.

Luck however was not on his side though as the scarfed skeleton shot him a knowing and concerned look for a brief second before sending Blue a smile as well. "I totally agree with Dream, it sounds like way more fun than just studying at home. Count me and Cross in!"

_Ooh, look what your little lie did. Now you're stuck with the one person you wanted to avoid. Great going Dream, really solid problem solving skills._

Oh how he wished he could tell the voices to shut up.

The rest of the day was utter hell. He could barely concentrate over the voices, all of which had become much louder and more vocal ever since lunch. The only voice that remained quiet was the one from earlier, the one that had told him to kill himself, which he was definitely grateful for. He could deal with most of the voices and their idle threats, their cruel taunts, but that one was simply too terrifying to deal with. Dream didn't even want to consider what would happen if that voice grew as loud as the others currently were.

Thankfully his mind had quieted down significantly, reducing the voices to nothing more than a whisper at the edge of his consciousness, when the time came to meet the others. Though truth be told he was quite nervous, especially when the thought of spending the evening with Geno came up. His observant friend was already catching on to him, so he would have to be extremely careful tonight to not set off any more alarms with the scarfed skeleton.

As he approached the house he'd visited so many times before, Blue threw open the door before he had a chance to knock, just as he always did. The eager skeleton threw his arms around his slightly taller friend, pulling him inside before either even said a word in greeting. Once both skeletons were fully inside, Blue closed the door behind them before wrapping him up in another hug. "Dream! Glad you could make it!"

"Why would I not come? You did this all because of me anyways." He sent the smaller skeleton the best smile he could manage, though it faltered a bit at the sight of Geno already present. Upon further inspection he was actually one of the last to arrive, with Lust being the only one missing. Then again, he did say he'd be late since he had practice tonight.

Thankfully Blue remained blissfully unaware of his struggles, and Geno was too involved in his work to notice. Blue piped up, a constant beacon of positivity that was unable to catch the slightly depressed tone he'd used earlier. "Nonsense, work is way more fun when it's done with friends anyway! Now come on, we've got plenty of snacks and space for you to work at." Chuckling, Dream let himself be dragged over to the empty spot at the corner of the table, pulling some work he actually did have to get done out as Blue plopped back down on the floor in front of his work.

Of the five skeletons, Blue, Dream, and Cross were currently sitting on the floor, working on the coffee table. Sci and Geno were working on the sofa and reclining chair respectively, both using computers while the others worked on paper assignments. Despite only three of them sitting at the table, Blue's chaotic cluttering of papers covered over half the space. Luckily Cross was quite organized with his work so there was still plenty of room for the golden skeleton's stuff.

The next hour passed in relative peace, allowing all the skeletons to make some progress on their work. That was until Blue got bored. "Guuuys, whatcha all working on?" He hopped up, running to the person closest to him, which happened to be Sci. The blue ball of energy simply stared at the other, waiting patiently for a response to his question.

Eventually Sci responded, seeming a little unnerved by Blue's constant presence over his shoulder. "Oh, I'm writing one of my research reports. We have to keep a document of our findings throughout the semester." The scientist then proceeded to launch into a full explanation of his work on miniature robotics. It seemed to interest Geno, who finally looked up from his own computer, but everyone else's eyes started to glaze over as they were bombarded with too much techno-babble.

"Boring!" Blue declared, quickly leaving Sci alone and hopping to the next person, Dream. Said skeleton shot a quick glance at Sci, though he didn't seem phased at all by Blue's statement, instead smirking as if his intention was to chase off the hyper skeleton so he could get back to work.

Realizing he was now the subject of interest, Dream showed his papers. "Nothing very interesting from me, just some psychology stuff I have to work through. It's pretty much all biology though, looking at how different drugs affect the brain."

"Drugs are pretty neat." Cross piped up, causing Dream's soul to involuntarily speed up. "Had to take a class last year that looked into steroids and misuse in athletes. Way more interesting than this stupid math class I'm forced to take."

Geno shot the monochrome skeleton a look. "Cross, that's a first-year math course. Why are you complaining? That stuff is easy."

"Maybe for you, but I hate all this stupid numbers stuff. Why do you think I went into phys-ed? No numbers!"

"Then why are you taking a first-year math course in third year? It wouldn't be mandatory if there were no numbers like you said."

"Okay, maybe there are some numbers, but not this crap, look! There's more letters in this question than numbers! Letters don't belong in math! And I'm somehow expected to turn all these letters into a number? I'm not a wizard, what do they want me to do, pull a rabbit out of my ass?"

"You don't have an ass, you're a skeleton."

Everyone burst out laughing as the two went back and forth, though Dream couldn't help but notice the course number on Cross' assignment. "Hey, I've taken that course," he blurted without thinking.

Instantly Cross' gaze was on him, a pleading look in his eyes as he held the piece of paper out to him. "You did? Do you remember how to do this stuff? Could you help me? I've been stuck on the first question for the past hour and I think it's safe to say I have no idea what I'm doing."

This was it, his chance to help his crush and impress him. "W-Well, I did take the course a c-couple years ago, but I'll s-see what I can do."

Dream surprised himself with how much of that class he actually remembered. The two of them were actually making progress, though Cross was in too much of a focused state to notice the many bashful looks sent his way, or the bright yellow blush adorning the smaller skeleton's cheeks. They were also spared from Blue's pestering, as the hyper skeleton had taken great interest in Geno's coding. Apparently one of his classes involved designing a small video game, so of course it was the most interesting thing that anyone was working on.

Everyone was having fun and being productive, though that last part only lasted a while longer before Lust finally arrived, a ridiculously huge grin on his face. "Guys! You're never gonna guess what happened at practice!" All eyes were suddenly on the loud skeleton as he flung the door open, barely waiting long enough to close the door before racing into the room and practically bouncing in place.

"Easy Lust, keep bouncing and you'll jump right through the ceiling," Cross joked, though it didn't seem to calm him down in the slightest. "Alright, I'll bite, what's got you so excited?"

"Well, during the practice today, one of the lead dancers misjudged her step and ended up falling off the stage! She ended up completely wrecking her ankle to the point she needs surgery!" Everyone gave Lust a look of horror as he excitedly proclaimed this.

Sci was the first to speak up following the short period of stunned silence. "Oh my god, is she okay?"

The purple skeleton blinked a couple times, as if some part of their friend's question didn't make sense. "Oh she was bitch that made everyone's lives miserable backstage and totally deserved it. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if someone had pushed her." Some nervous looks were exchanged at their friend's flippant attitude towards the situation, with Sci shooting him a serious look that he definitely didn't miss. "I promise I didn't push her, now can I get to the really exciting part?"

Now Blue was bouncing too, as if he was feeding off of Lust's excitement. "Oh yes! What happened? Something good I hope!"

"Better than good, Blue! Guess who was that bitch's understudy? Me! Now I get to have one of the lead roles in our performance!" Both Dream and Blue were now on their feet, excitedly congratulating Lust and jumping along with him.

The happiness ground to a halt with a single word. "Performance?" All three energetic skeletons stopped, turning to look at a very confused Geno.

Lust shot him a look, as if he couldn't believe their scarfed friend right now. "Um, my midterm performance? You know, the dance performance I've been working on for the past month and a half? It's only one of two major performances this semester responsible for a big portion of my grade. Any of this ringing a bell?" It certainly was for Dream, a sickening dread washing over him as a memory of being handed two tickets surfaced in his mind.

Geno on the other hand simply shook his head, a look of guilt on his face even though it wasn't his fault. "I've been in the hospital for most of this semester, so this is the first I've heard about it. Guess I really did miss a lot, sorry. I can still come though, right?"

"Wait, that doesn't make sense," Lust thought aloud, now as confused as the other skeleton. "Did I not mention it at all anytime I visited? It's been the biggest thing I've been working on recently, I wanted to make sure all of you were there. I even got you a ticket... that I gave to Dream to give to you." As the revelation peaked, the purple skeleton whirled on Dream. "You gave him the ticket... right?"

The second the golden skeleton looked away, Lust knew of his guilt. Before his anger got the better of him, Sci stepped in and tried to help their forgetful friend. "Wait, didn't you shove it in your bag when Lust gave it to you? Maybe it's still there."

When Dream heard that, he wasted no time in flinging open his bag, sifting through the contents and ripping things out that he chucked in every direction. Though even when he dumped the entire contents of his bag out on the floor, the ticket was nowhere to be seen. "It's... It's not in here... But I never took it out!"

_Uh-oh, if I were you I'd look at everyone's faces right now! Lust looks ready to kill you, Crossy looks so disappointed, and oh look, you're worrying Geno again!_

As his gaze scanned his friends, everything the voice said turned out to be true. He honestly didn't know which one hurt more between the three, though it seemed like Lust wanted it to physically hurt as he stormed over and ripped Dream to his feet. "You lost his ticket?! Two days before the performance and you lose his ticket! I can't believe you Dream!"

Guilt welled up in him, unbearable and crushing, allowing more voices to come in to the center of his mind. Tears built up, threatening to overflow from all the chaos currently happening. "Wait," Geno's voice rang out, drawing both skeletons' attention as they saw him slowly getting up from his seat. "It's okay Lust, I can just go buy a new ticket. Then everyone will be able to-"

Lust's laughter cut him off, dark and without any humour. "I get that you're trying to find a miracle solution to all our problems like you always do Geno, but it won't work this time. The tickets sold out over a week ago. Dancers like myself had first dibs a couple weeks ago when I grabbed everyone's tickets, but when they opened up to the public they were quick to disappear. Unless _someone_ manages to find that ticket, one of you won't be able to go."

Dream couldn't even look at anyone anymore, unable to hold his emotions back any longer as tears readily flowed. All the voices yelling at him that he screwed up were right. He needed to fix this, but there was only one thing he could think of that would work. "It's okay," he called out, voice choked with emotion. "Geno c-can just have m-my t-ticket. Only f-fair since I-I lost his."

That answer seemed to satisfy Lust, as the purple skeleton promptly dropped him and stalked off. Dream collapsed to the floor, smiling despite the tears. Everything would be okay, even if he missed his friend's performance, because at least Geno would be able to go. He deserved it anyways, he was a way better friend than Dream could ever hope to be.

That didn't stop the frail skeleton from hobbling over and kneeling down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Dream, it's okay. We can find some other way, or you should go, or-"

"No!" He blurted out without thinking, much louder and more panicked than he was intending. Dream was somewhat aware of the strange looks the others were giving him, but right now he couldn't help but focus on Geno's critical stare. It was as if he could see the cracks that were beginning to spread through the golden skeleton's façade, the cracks that were slowly allowing his inner turmoil to leak out for everyone to see. "Please, I... You deserve to go more than me..."

As he cast his gaze downward, Dream could feel Geno's glare burning into him. Suddenly two hands latched on to his shoulders, forcing him to sit up straight and meet the scarfed skeleton's eye. "Enough Dream, I won't stand by anymore." His tone was commanding and full of power, completely different from the one he typically used. Honestly, the intensity from his usually relaxed friend was starting to scare Dream. It made Geno impossible to ignore, everyone in the room giving him their full attention. "Something is wrong, I can tell. So please, just tell me what it is so I can help you."

_Oh look, Dream's screwed up again everyone! The one thing he didn't want to happen is finally happening! You've got Geno worried about you, how long till you get one of your best friends literally sick with worry?_

_Wow, you're such a fuck up! Can't you do anything right?_

**_Die..._ **

His eye widened as the voices grew in volume, calling out his various failures until it was almost painful. Yet he completely froze as the horribly sweet voice he dreaded the most spoke up, far quieter than any of the others yet still there. A slight whimper escaped him, low enough that no one heard, no one except the skeleton right in front of him.

"Dream please," Geno pleaded, his grip tightening on the other's shoulders. "Tell me what's happening, because I know something is seriously wrong. Just let me help you."

There... there was no escape. With Geno's words he could feel everyone's eyes latched onto him, the tense atmosphere thick with worry. Everyone knew that the scarfed skeleton was never wrong about these kinds of things, as most of them had experienced his knack for finding hidden problems first-hand. With every passing second it grew harder to breathe as the voices kept getting louder. They were screaming in his head by this point, too loud for him to hear the worried shouts from the others as he doubled over, hands gripping his skull as if to keep it together. Tears fell relentlessly from the pain he was in, yet there was nothing he could think of to stop it.

"Stop," he muttered aloud, earning concerned glances from the other skeletons as he visibly trembled in Geno's grasp. But the voices wouldn't stop, they only got louder. "Please, just leave me alone." Dream at this point was completely disconnected from reality, unable to register anything but the constant screaming in his skull. Louder and louder, the screams bounced around in his head as he kept screaming back for them to stop, to shut up. When he felt an unknown hand on his face, that's when he snapped. Grabbing the wrist of the hand touching him, Dream ripped it away from him with as much force as he could, as if this physical presence was responsible for his suffering. "JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed as loud as he could, hoping that by removing this assailant his mind would finally stop tormenting him.

It worked. As he gasped for air, the ringing of voices in his ears began to subside, only to be replaced with a muffled and panicked shouting. A force collided with Dream's side, throwing him roughly to the ground. It took him a second to gather his thoughts, as if a thick fog were blanketing his mind. Yet as it slowly began to clear, Dream opened his eyes only to be filled with a dreadful scene.

Lust was standing in front of him, seething in rage as his purple magic flared in his left eye. Meanwhile everyone else was crowded around a white lump on the floor. Cross seemed to be in a state of hysteria, frantically shaking the unmoving lump. "Geno!" He kept screaming the name over and over again, and it wasn't until a piece of red fabric fluttered into view that Dream's muddled mind could comprehend what happened.

He'd hurt Geno. One of his best friends, the one that everyone loved, and in his panic he'd thrown him as hard as he could into the nearby coffee table. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Lust screamed at him, tears visibly pooling at the edges of his sockets. "Geno tries to help you and you did this to him?! Look at him!"

Of course Dream was looking, he couldn't look away. All he could see was his dear friend, crumpled on the floor and visibly in pain. Everyone froze as a groan came from Geno, the white lump slowly shifting his position so that he could see everyone with his good eye. The scarfed skeleton stretched out a hand, visibly trembling as he called out, "Dream..." in such a broken voice laced with pain. As his position shifted, a fresh crack could be seen on the right side of his skull, wrapping around the side and disappearing underneath the glitch covering his socket. A thin trickle of blood was already oozing between the split bone, trickling down his face and dripping onto the carpet.

The golden skeleton couldn't take it. All this suffering, because of him. Unable to look away at the damage he caused, Dream slowly pushed himself to his feet, barely noticing the audible growl and protective stance coming from the purple skeleton in front of him. He hesitantly took a step forward, hand outstretched as if there was something he could do. "G-Geno... I-I'm so s-sorry..."

His advance was quickly cut off by Lust, stepping between them with a look of pure rage. Dream squeaked and jumped back a bit, retracting his hand as if he'd touched something hot. "Sorry? Sorry?! You threw him into the fucking table! You cracked his fricking skull! You think a 'sorry' is gonna fix that?! What if he has to go to the hospital again?! He could be in there for weeks, all because of you!"

_Lust is right, you screwed up too badly for a sorry to be worth anything._

_Why are you still here? They clearly don't want you here! They only care about Geno, not you!_

_Just go before you screw something else up._

They... they were right, he was only making everything worse. Dream took a few hesitant steps back, muttering constant apologies before spinning on his heel and running out the door. He couldn't bear to stay, to watch as everyone tended to Geno's injuries, the injuries _Dream_ gave him. No one made a move to top him as he left, slamming the door closed behind him as he ran into the night.

At least, that's what he thought, until a voice screamed out his name. Turning back revealed Cross racing out the door, jumping off the porch as he raced to stop Dream from going any farther. If it had been anyone else, he might've kept running, but Cross had come, his crush cared about him.

"Please Dream, don't run off on us. Just come back inside, we can sort all this out. Everyone's worried about you. _I'm_ worried about you." His words were so genuine, causing Dream's soul to flutter despite the grief and guilt he was feeling.

"Y-You a-are?" His voice sounded so hollow and broken to himself, and Cross clearly didn't miss it either. A look of pity flashed across his face before he wrapped Dream up in a wonderfully warm embrace, holding him tight against his chest.

"Of course, I care about you. Why would you ever think otherwise? We're friends, after all."

_Friends_. The word stuck in his soul like a knife, twisting at it and adding to the pain he already felt. But... maybe all he needs to do is confess, maybe Cross is just too scared to do it first! With a newfound bravery spurring him on, Dream did what he wanted to do for the past year. "W-What if... I-I want to b-be more t-than friends?"

Instantly Cross pulled back, a mixture of confusion and concern on his face. "Dream, please we need to go back. You're clearly not thinking straight, and something is-"

"No, I'm sure about this Cross! I'm not just saying something random, I love you!" The words tumbled out of his mouth without restraint, though the reaction from the monochrome skeleton was not what he was expecting. He'd been hoping for the other to return the words, not simply stand there in a state of shock. Thinking he hadn't been clear enough, Dream kept speaking, trying to get the message across. "Cross, I-I've been in love with y-you for the past y-year. I-I love how brave a-and caring and f-funny you are! I-I've never felt t-this way about a-anyone else, no one e-except you! So please... say something..."

"I-I..." Cross looked away, biting at his lip as he hesitated. The taller skeleton took a deep breath before opening his eyes. The harsh coldness in them threw Dream off, they weren't the eyes of someone in love. "Dream, I don't know what's going on in your head right now, but you need help if you're saying stuff like this all of a sudden. And even if your confession is genuine, I don't feel the same way, and I doubt I ever will. So please, let's just go back inside and move past this."

Dream felt like a knife was driven through his soul, shattering it into pieces. He stumbled back, Cross' blunt rejection replaying over and over in his mind, the voices laughing at him and calling him pathetic or naïve. The monochrome skeleton reached out a hand, aiming for his wrist as if to forcefully bring him back. "Don't touch me!" He screamed, slapping the hand away before turning and bolting down a random road. Dream refused to look at the other skeleton, not seeing the look of surprise on his face as Cross remained frozen in the street until it was too late.

With his soul in pieces, Dream ran as far as he could, ignoring the ache growing in his bones, and the screams and laughter in his head. He'd hurt someone he cared about, he turned all of his friends against him, and he was rejected, all within the span of fifteen minutes. Too much, it was all too much. They thought he was crazy, or some sort of freak. They hated him, they didn't want to see him again. They didn't care about him.

Dream kept running blindly, ignoring the few strangers on the street as he ran away from his problems, his friends, his mistakes. He only stopped when he couldn't run anymore, almost collapsing at the beginning of a bridge. There were many bridges that crossed over the river that cut through the heart of the city, though this one was rarely used by pedestrians. The walkway was old and rickety, and while it was said to be completely safe to travel on there was always that lingering fear that you'd fall through at any second. Still, his feet led him across the bridge without any thought from himself, leaving him completely at the mercy of the voices once again.

_Coward! Pathetic! Weak! Horrible!_

Each voice seemed to have a different word to call him, with each slowly beginning to ring true in the poor, broken skeleton's mind. He shivered and sobbed uncontrollably, just wanting the pain to finally stop.

**_Oh Dream, look at the mess you've gotten yourself into now. Lust hates you, you betrayed Geno, and Cross thinks you're insane. Oh and let's not forget how Ink has left you and you even managed to get sweet Blue mad at you. That only leaves Sci, but I'm pretty sure he won't trust you after tonight either. Tell me, little Dream, how are you going to get out of this mess?_ **

The sickly sweet voice from before spoke up, all others going silent as it asked him a question. The problem was, he didn't know. He had no idea how to fix this, seeing as how he'd ruined everything.

**_You're right Dream, everything's ruined. Honestly, the way I see it, you only have two options. Option one is for you to go on living your miserable life. Your friends of course will be gone, and I seriously doubt you'll be able to ever make any more. You'll spend the rest of your life all alone... or, you can take option two, which is right over that railing._ **

Dream didn't understand, there was nothing over the railing on his right. That railing was the only thing keeping him from falling into the river below.

**_Exactly Dream. You'll never get another chance like this, to have such a peaceful end to your horrible life. Just think of it, drowning would be so peaceful, and from this height you'd be unconscious the second you hit the water. You wouldn't feel a thing! It'd be over, quick and painless. No more suffering, no more mistakes. You'd be free from all of that, doesn't that sound nice?_ **

It... it did sound nice. To be free of the pain, to never have to worry about hurting the others again. He could finally stop making mistakes. Almost as if in a trance, Dream looked over the railing with dull and lifeless eyes. The dark waters below almost seemed to call to him, promising to swallow him up and take away all of his pain.

**_One little jump, that's all it takes to put all of this behind you forever._ **

As the wind picked up it pulled at the skeleton's jacket, sending a chill through him as the tails flapped in the breeze. When the wind died down, one of the tails thumped into his leg faster than the other, reminding Dream of what was hidden inside. Reaching his hand in, the golden skeleton pulled out his phone, safely protected by one of those nearly indestructible cases. It had been Geno's suggestion, as Dream had accidentally forgotten to remove several phones before doing laundry in the past. This phone would survive even the plunge into the river, completely fine even if he died.

A single thought played in his mind as he unlocked the phone, ignoring the several messages and missed calls on the device. He opened the voice recorder, determined to leave his former friends a final message.

"My dear friends, if you're hearing this message then I'm already gone. I'm so, so sorry that it took me this long to do what I should've done so long ago. I never wanted to burden any of you, but it seems that was all I was capable of doing. You especially Geno, I made you worry so much about me no matter how hard I tried to hide my problems from you. I never wanted to hurt any of you... so, with my last words I wish you all the best, and I hope that you can find a better friend than me. I'm sorry."

He stopped the recording, setting up a note on the lock screen of the phone so that whoever discovered it would know who to give the message to. This was the last thing he would do with his life, so he was not going to screw this up.

**_Your time is running out Dream, better hurry before someone shows up and tries to take your chance away._ **

He slipped the phone back into his pocket, zipping it shut to prevent the contents from flying out.

**_Over the railing, nice and easy. Oh look, you can even see the stars from here. If you fall backwards, you'll get such a pretty last sight. That's way more than most will ever get._ **

He mindlessly followed the voice's instructions, now standing on the opposite side of the railing and looking in to the empty road.

**_You're almost there, no more pain, no more suffering. All you have to do is let go and you'll be..._ **

"Free," he whispered, hands releasing the metal in front of him as he fell backwards. The bridge fell away from him quickly as he plummeted towards the dark waters below. Despite his death approaching, Dream felt no fear. Instead he almost felt light, as if the wind rushing past him was taking all of his worries, his problems and struggles along with it. A smile worked its way across his face as Dream stared up at the stars above. His body relaxed as the beautiful sight imprinted itself into his mind, which was completely silent for the first time in years. Sighing, Dream closed his eyes and waited to embrace his end.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains themes of suicide and character death.
> 
> Please read at your own discretion.

Killer looked up at the night sky, only to sigh as the city lights blocked out any of the stars. It was something he desperately missed from when he and his brothers lived in smaller places, where the lights weren't bright enough to keep them away. A starry night sky was one of his favourite ways to relax, but it seemed he wouldn't be able to get it here unless he went hunting for it. He really could use the relaxation right now too, especially with Dust constantly rubbing his soulmate in Killer's face.

The frog daemon had stormed out of the house earlier before he actually punched his best friend in his smug face. Why was it that Killer would constantly play by the rules and do everything he was told to do, but the stupid monkey that broke all the rules got to be happy? It wasn't fair, and was downright infuriating. At least Fell and Error weren't being complete asses about finding their soulmates, even if Error was rarely around anymore. The spider daemon spent pretty much every day with his boyfriend doing who knows what. Ever since that date he went on last week, he'd been home less and less.

Thankfully Reaper had told him of a couple areas in the city where the lights were less, meaning he could find someplace where he could relax and get away from his crazy family. The one that had seemed the most appealing was the river valley. Since a fairly large river cut through the heart of the city, there was a wide stretch of land on either side of it that was pretty much all greenery. On top of that if he wanted to he could probably make his way down to the water for a late night swim in his daemon form, something he wouldn't be able to do anywhere else.

So that was where Killer was currently heading. He was a bit surprised at how few people were out in a city this big, but he definitely wasn't complaining. Less people was a good thing, it meant a lower chance of someone noticing something or getting curious and following him. It's specifically why he'd chosen to go through this area, as there were far less pedestrians due to how shady the area was, but not actually a high amount of criminals. The area was just neglected, housing mostly homeless people and junkies, none of which would be believed if they screamed about a frog skeleton in the river. Killer couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the idea of their sightings being so quickly written off as drug-induced hallucinations as he walked past quite possibly the sketchiest looking bridge ever.

A cold wind ripped past him, causing Killer to pull his dark jacket tighter. He'd had to trade in his old blue hoodie when they got here, as Nightmare was tired of him, Dust, and Horror all looking the same at a distance. So he'd swapped it out for a biker jacket, finding it very effective for keeping out the cold fall winds. It helped cover his white t-shirt and went well with the dark jeans he'd gotten, all of which had enough room and flexibility to accommodate his daemon form if necessary.

As the wind died down, Killer went to keep walking, but... something was off. It was like there was something calling to him down the bridge, beckoning him onto the rickety structure. He had half a mind to ignore the feeling, as he didn't really want to be anywhere near this bridge. Even if he was far more durable as a daemon compared to a normal monster, there'd be no way in hell that he'd walk away from a fall of that height into the river.

And yet he still stepped on to that bridge. He remembered how Reaper had explained what it felt like to be close to your soulmate; how there seemed to be an invisible force leading you in some direction, even if it was the exact opposite of where you wanted to go. So Killer didn't fight the strange feeling, instead embracing it with a smile. This was it, he'd finally meet his soulmate, the one being in the whole world made perfectly for him. Now he could be as happy as the others and could finally get Dust to stop rubbing Killer's lack of a soulmate in his face.

By the time Killer made it about halfway across the bridge he finally saw someone else. They were a skeleton, dressed in golden tones with a golden crown on their head. Though to Killer they were the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid his eyes on. The way their clothes gently fluttered in the breeze, the regal look they could totally pull off, it was all so perfect. Then there was how their golden eyes reflected the light of the stars despite seeming so dull and void of hope... and how they moved so gracefully as they... climbed over the safety railing. They... something was seriously wrong.

Before Killer's mind could catch up to what was happening, he was already running, trying to close the distance between them as quickly as possible. He tried to call out to them, but they didn't even seem to hear him. The golden skeleton was too lost in their own thoughts, completely disconnected from reality as their grip on the metal bar in front of them slipped and they fell backwards. Wait... they didn't slip, they let go. Killer felt everything come crashing down on him as he watched his soulmate commit suicide.

No, no, no, no, no! Just when he finally found the one meant for him, the world tried to take them away. The loss of a soulmate, no matter how new the connection was, always resulted in irreparable damage to their daemon partner, in mind, body, and soul. It was why daemons were so protective of their partners, often willing to sacrifice their own safety on instinct to protect them. So that's exactly what Killer did.

The frog daemon changed forms and leapt over the safety railing without hesitation. He pushed off the metal bar, making use of his powerful legs to launch off and close the gap as quickly as he could. His soulmate was his only priority at this point, nothing else mattered, not even his own life. The wind rushed past as he quickly closed the distance between the two of them, not even bothering with discretion as he openly used his abilities. Two large balls of slime began to form in his hands, one taking a fraction of the time as he threw it at the water beneath them without hesitation. This wasn't the first time he'd gone diving off of tall heights, so he knew that the surface tension of the water below was dangerous, possibly lethal. If either of them hit it as it was, they'd probably break something if they didn't die on impact. At the very least they'd be knocked unconscious and subsequently drown.

So Killer's current plan involved two different kind of slime. In his right hand he was producing slime with no effects, as it was the quickest and took the least energy and focus to create. Each time he created one big enough he lobbed it into the water, allowing him to churn the surface to break up the tension. In his left hand was something completely different, one taking plenty of time and energy to create. The second it was ready though he fired, aiming directly at the skeleton beneath him. The black ball of goo impacted directly in center of the skeleton's chest, spreading out to cover most of the surface before crystallizing. It wasn't much, but it would at least protect some of the golden skeleton from the impact. Killer wished he could've protected the back of his head and spine, but he was out of time and not anywhere near the right angle to pull that off, so it would have to do.

The force of the black slime impacting them caused the golden skeleton to open their eyes. Two golden eyelights locked onto Killer, something sparking in the depths of the smaller's otherwise lifeless eyes. But Killer didn't have a chance to figure out what it was before his soulmate crashed into the waters below. Cursing, the daemon took a deep breath, angling his hands to pierce the water like a diver, before he too was swallowed up by the river.

It took him a couple seconds, but Killer's amphibian form quickly adapted to the new environment. He opened his eyes, being able to see quite clearly despite the relative murk and the darkness above. Swimming like this with his clothes on was always something that felt strange to him, almost restricting as his porous skin cried out to feel the cool and refreshing water. Killer allowed himself to be carried by the current, looking for the brightly coloured skeleton and hoping his actions had lessened the impact at least a bit.

The second he spotted a flash of gold he bolted into action, swimming along the current to get there as fast as he could. He would've been able to swim faster if he'd been able to ditch his shoes, but that thought was pushed to the back of his mind as Killer's hand wrapped around a bony, limp arm. He pulled his soulmate against his chest, inwardly cursing as he noticed they'd been knocked out once they hit the water. He quickly removed the crystallized slime from the other's torso, swimming up to the surface so the smaller skeleton could properly breathe.

Two skulls breached the surface of the water, with Killer not really feeling short of breath in the slightest. His powerful amphibian legs managed to fight against the current and keep them relatively stationary, but that didn't matter as Killer realized the other wasn't breathing. Panic consumed him as he drove towards the shore, wanting to get them out of the water as quickly as he could. "Shit, shit, shit, shit. Don't you dare die on me, you hear?! I'm not gonna lose you after finally finding you! So don't die!" The frog daemon continued to scream at the unconscious and unbreathing body in his arms, tears stinging his eyes as he swam as fast as he could.

It took way too long in Killer's mind for them to reach the shore. As he dragged the golden skeleton's limp body onto solid ground and away from the water, his soul sank as he noticed they still weren't breathing. Killer tried everything he could think of, but his panic was clouding his mind and he was far from an expert on this kind of stuff to begin with. He knew he couldn't save his soulmate, and if he didn't call for help then they would die right in front of him. So the daemon decided to call the one person he knew that seemed to know everything.

Killer pulled his phone out of his pocket, which was completely fine thanks to the waterproof and nearly indestructible case it had. He'd had too many times in the past where he'd forgotten to take his phone out of his pocket before going swimming, leading to Nightmare chewing him out and eventually giving him the phone and case he had now, with a promise that if he somehow managed to ruin this one he would pay for it, one way or another. He quickly unlocked the phone, scrolling through the few contacts he had before dialing Reaper's number.

The raven daemon picked up just before the call would've gone to voicemail, not really helping with Killer's overwhelming panic and anxiety as he needed help fast. A sigh greeted him from the other side. _"What do you want Killer? I'm in the middle of something."_ Reaper was clearly annoyed at being disturbed. If the frog daemon remembered correctly, his brother had gone out tonight to search for his soulmate under the cover of darkness. Given how he'd come so close multiple times over the past couple weeks, it was understandable that he didn't want to be bothered while tracking them.

That didn't change how desperately Killer needed his help right now. "Please, Reaper I know you're busy, but I really need help-"

_"Then phone one of the others. I'm currently tracking another stupid bus and I refuse to lose my soulmate because you did something stu-"_

"Dammit Reaper my soulmate is dying!" He blurted out, the raw emotion in his voice making it clear that this wasn't some joke.

That made the older daemon pause. _"What did you say?"_ The only sound made in response to the question was a sob as Killer grabbed hold of his soulmate's cold hand. _"I'm on my way, where are you?"_ Reaper's voice was instantly extremely serious, the sound of rushing wind in the background of the call as he abandoned his earlier task.

Killer looked around with teary eyes, making sure to get his bearings correct so that he gave the right directions. "I-I'm on the riverbank, s-south s-side. Downstream o-of a really s-sketchy looking bridge in t-the druggie area. P-Please, hurry. I-I don't know what to do!"

 _"Calm down, I'll be there as fast as I can. Tell me what happened, were you attacked by hunters?"_ There was a dark edge to Reaper's voice, something that happened any time hunters came up with him.

The frog daemon shook his head on reflex before remembering Reaper couldn't see him. He took a couple breaths to try and calm himself as per the other's instructions, but it only reminded him of how the skeleton beside him wasn't breathing. "N-No... I-I found them... t-they were j-jumping... o-off the bridge. T-They were trying t-to kill themselves Reaper, n-now they're n-not breathing!"

 _"Shit,"_ Reaper cursed. _"Don't panic, I'm almost there. Give me another thirty seconds. In fact, can you wave your free arm in the air right now?"_ Killer was a bit confused but did as was asked. _"Thank god, that's you."_ With that the line went dead.

Only a few more seconds passed before Reaper practically dove towards the ground, slowing down at the last possible second before landing on the edge of the river next to them. His talons scraped along the rocks underneath them as he raced towards the two others. Though something seemed to catch him off guard, stalling him for a minute before he kneeled down and began inspecting the smaller skeleton. "Well, this is bad," he said relatively calmly, still looking over the golden skeleton.

"Bad?! He's dying Reaper! Of course it's bad!" While one daemon seemed calm despite the situation, the younger of the two was borderline hysterical.

His brother sighed before placing his hands over the unconscious skeleton's chest. He murmured something under his breath, too low for Killer to pick it up, before a faint, warm light emitted from his hands, concentrating at the center of the other's chest where his soul would be. Even though the entire city had magic suppression systems activated, it seemed that Reaper's magical power was too great to be completely contained, either that or he'd found some way around the system. Neither of those options would surprise Killer in the slightest. Reaper had a knack for doing things with magic none of the others could even begin to comprehend.

"This is more complicated than you realize Killer. Do you know who this is?" Reaper looked up only to get a blank look and a quick shake from the other. Sighing, Reaper elaborated. "I believe his name is Dream, and he's Nightmare's twin brother. He's the one responsible for the house we're staying at, so if we lose him we lose any sort of protection we might've had in this city."

Killer looked down at Dream, extremely surprised and confused. This was Nightmare's brother? But the two didn't look at all like each other. Maybe they acted more similar, but the more bizarre thing Reaper had said was the whole thing about them losing their protection if they lost him. The older daemon seemed to understand what he was thinking easily, elaborating while maintaining the flow of magic. "Did you really thing that it was a fluke that we've spent a couple weeks in this city without a single hunter finding any of us? It wasn't luck, but this skeleton's actions that have kept us safe. That estate he let us stay at has a protection spell surrounding it, one that he created himself so that it could even cloak us while we're in the city. His magic would hide our unique soul signatures and prevent hunters from detecting us quickly like they usually do, so unless we carelessly use our daemon forms then we should be fine. But the charm is linked to his magic, meaning that if he dies or is injured too badly, then it fails. So yeah, this is bad."

Now Killer looked at his soulmate in awe. He didn't know normal monsters were capable of such complex and advanced magic. "How can he do that? I've never seen anyone but you do something like that."

Reaper smirked at the comment, clearly enjoying the compliment to his skills. "While I can't give you an exact answer, there's a commonly held theory about the blood siblings of daemons. If a blood sibling is born a normal monster, then most believe them to be superior in terms of magical skills compared to the average monster. The idea is that they fall somewhere between monsters and daemons in terms of magic capability, ranking pretty close to boss monsters in terms of strength with some. That would definitely explain Dream's natural competency with advanced magic spells."

The frog daemon blinked. "So cuz his brother's a daemon, he's like a boss monster?"

"If you want to simplify it, yes. However there are still intrinsic differences between the souls of boss monsters and... you're not listening, are you?"

"To be honest? Tell me later, save him now." Reaper had a nasty habit of spewing too much information on a topic when it really wasn't appropriate. Sure, Killer was interested in what his brother knew, but with his soulmate still not breathing it definitely wasn't the time. Then again it was his fault for asking Reaper a question in the first place, he thought by now he should know better.

Reaper rolled his eyes but didn't stop the flow of magic that Killer had no idea what it was for. "For your information, I've been keeping both him and the protection spell alive for a while now. I've been supplementing his magic with mine to keep both of them functioning, but this is only a temporary measure. You need to get him breathing again or all my efforts will be pointless."

"If I knew how to do that I wouldn't have needed to call you in the first place! You're the expert here, tell me what to do!" Killing hunters, that was something he could do, but with a name like Killer he kind of assumed he'd never be the kind of person to save another's life.

"For starters, try calming down. Having you freaking out isn't going to make this any easier. And if you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy at the moment. Come on Killer, you're smarter than you give yourself credit for, think!"

Killer did his best to calm down, but the overwhelming fear of having his soulmate in such a state made it really hard to keep from freaking out. Now he needed to think of something, let's see... If he'd drowned and wasn't breathing, that meant he'd inhaled water right? So the water was still in him, preventing him from breathing. All he had to do was get the water out and he might start breathing again. Could he use his slime? No, that would just cause an entirely different problem and he still wouldn't be able to breathe. No, he needed to do something else.

What if he forced him to breathe? If he forced air into him, maybe it would be enough to force the water out. Well, about the only way he thought of that he could force him to breathe would be to... A dark blush crept along his cheekbones, hidden for the most part by the surrounding darkness.

Unfortunately, Reaper had excellent vision, even in the dark. "Oh stop being such a child and do it! I'm getting tired, so either you start doing mouth to mouth or I'm gonna punch you in the mouth!"

"Okay, okay!" Killer positioned himself right next to Dream's skull, shooting the raven daemon another hesitant look. The low growl emanating from the shadow on the other side of the golden skeleton was enough to push him into action. As he swallowed his nervousness and panic, Killer bent down, gently placing his lips on top of his soulmate's before exhaling slowly into him. He saw Dream's chest rise as he forced his own air into him, but felt his hope ebbing away as his chest fell back and refused to move on its own again.

Reaper let out a displeased groan. "Keep going Killer! You can't expect it to work the first time! Keep breathing for him until he does it on his own dammit!" Driven by the agitated nature of Reaper's voice, the frog daemon quickly resumed the action, not wanting to risk being on the receiving end of the taller's wrath. Nightmare was scary, but he was like that all the time to the point where Killer was more used to him being angry. But Reaper was usually one of the calmest and most relaxed in their group, making his rage all the more terrifying on the few times it did show.

Breath after breath, Killer kept trying and trying to get Dream to breathe on his own, feeling dismay and grief tug at his soul with every time he watched his soulmate's chest refuse to move on its own. If it weren't for Reaper constantly ordering him to keep going, he probably would've said it was hopeless and given up long ago. But he was so thankful he didn't when he felt the smallest of twitches come from the near lifeless form. Before he knew it, the daemon's mouth was full of water as Dream began violently coughing up the water he'd inhaled, spasms overtaking his body as the skeleton tried desperately to breathe on his own.

"Turn him onto his side, otherwise he'll just keep choking!" Reaper ordered, never breaking his flow of magic to Dream's soul. Killer acted without hesitance, the dark dread that had been seeping into his soul now being replaced with an overwhelming relief. He didn't even care that he was crying right now, the magical tears cascading down with already streaked face and plopping onto the rocky ground beneath as he let out a shaky breath of his own.

His soulmate was alive. Even though he hadn't regained consciousness yet, Dream was gasping for air as he continued to cough up more and more water. Eventually Dream's convulsive movements stilled, his breathing laboured but finally steady. Not wanting to jinx it, the frog daemon didn't dare touch him for fear of causing some other problem.

Reaper let out a long and dramatic sigh before collapsing backwards onto the stony shore, finally breaking the direct stream of magic. "Thank god, that was getting hard to keep up. Definitely not how I was expecting my night to go." The raven daemon tilted his head up enough to look directly at Killer. "I hope you realize the extent of the situation you're unfortunately in. Your soulmate is suicidal, so unless you want to lose him, and have all of us found by hunters shortly after, you better figure out what's pushed him to this point and fast."

The younger daemon nodded, knowing that moving forward he was going to have to work hard to make sure that Dream was happy and would never consider those thoughts ever again. A peaceful silence overtook the two, broken up by the distant city noises, the water rushing by, and his soulmate's occasionally laboured breathing. It was nice, allowing Killer some time to come down from the adrenaline high tonight's events had left him with. Though one detail stood out to him as odd, one he figured now would be a perfect time to clear up. "So... how did you do that? The thing where you transferred your magic to him?" With the magic suppression system up, the magic that monsters typically used was blocked. Then again, that wasn't typical monster magic, not even really green coloured magic. It was something else.

Reaper continued to lay on his back for a minute before pushing himself up to a sitting position, clearly recovering a bit from the fatigue his earlier actions had left him with. "It's an invocation that I learned a long time ago. Figured it might come in handy for... well, situations like this. Lo and behold, I, the magnificent Reaper, was right." He started making grand gestures with his one hand, using the other to continue supporting his weight.

"I-Invo... what?"

"Invocation," Reaper sighed, his dramatic tendencies dying down and instead being replaced by his tendency to share his insane amounts of knowledge. The frog daemon thought he had to be the one guy in the world that knew everything. "It's an advanced form of magic that used to be solely the domain of humans. It's... well, it's pretty much a lost art at this point, since there's no humans that practice magic anymore, and it's a hell of a lot harder for monsters to learn than typical bullet magic so most don't. In fact, I'm pretty sure that most monsters are just incapable of learning it. It requires a hell of a lot of magic to be able to pull it off, hence why yours truly can manage." In typical Reaper fashion, even when explaining something complex or convoluted, the raven daemon can still manage to pump up his own ego at the same time.

"Didn't seem that complicated," Killer muttered, looking at his own hands and wondering if he'd be able to learn invocations at some point. Though the way his brother talked made it sound nearly impossible, and this was coming from by far their strongest magic user.

A chuckle broke him out of his thoughts, dragging them back to the cloaked skeleton across from him. "You notice how I often do things with magic that don't really make sense, things that I shouldn't be able to do? That's me doing an invocation. The spells are a lot more powerful and diverse than what any monster is naturally capable of, well beyond bullet magic and even coloured magic in terms of capabilities. Some of the more powerful invocations can even put a gaster blaster to shame. But it's also far more difficult to pull off.

"Any time I've ever used an invocation, you'll probably notice that I start muttering under my breath. To use an invocation, you must invoke that power, call it forth using a powerful spell. Takes a hell of a lot more magic as you weave it into your very words, and a lot of focus to not screw up a very delicate process. One word out of place and the whole thing can fail, or even worse it could backfire and cause all sorts of nasty side effects. Typically, invocations are supposed to spoken out loud and with conviction, clear enunciation on every word to avoid any possibility of the words carelessly blending together. I've just become so good at it over the years that I have no issue with speeding things up a little, and my natural magic reserves are a lot higher due to my nature as a daemon. Hence why I can pull it off."

Taking a small break from his monologue, Reaper turned his attention to Dream whose breathing was slowly getting less laboured. "Now, finding a normal monster capable of invocations, like your little soulmate here, that's always something quite fascinating to me."

"W-Wait, what?" Killer looked between his brother and his soulmate, utterly confused by his last comment. Dream could do that weird, complicated magic too?

If Reaper had eyelights, he'd be rolling them right now. "Keep up Killer. The protection spell Dream created, the one protecting us from the hunters, it's an invocation. In fact, it's a very high level and extremely complicated one that I'm pretty sure he spent a lot of time and effort creating. Not wanting his hard work to go to waste is probably one of the less obvious reasons why I made sure to maintain it for him. Thankfully it's stable, he's stable, everyone's stable and happy." With that, Reaper collapsed back onto the ground, signalling that he was done his explanation.

"Wow, that's definitely a lot to take in," the younger muttered, looking at his soulmate in awe. "So, there's not really any restrictions on the kinds of things you can do with an invocation?"

"Nope."

"Could you make fire rain from the sky if you wanted to?"

"Theoretically."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I'd have to do some research and figure out the exact words required to make that happen. Why, did you want me to bring hell raining down on earth?"

"Nope."

Reaper chuckled, looking up to the starry sky above with his arms behind his head. "Other than little Dream over there, I don't actually know anyone else capable of using this kind of magic. Theoretically I guess Nightmare could, he definitely has the potential. But, I really don't think he ever will. We both know that our fearless leader's first instinct when tackling a problem is to go through it... and then rip it apart with four slimy black tentacles."

Knowing exactly how right the older one was, Killer just let out a low chuckle, not wanting to disturb the golden skeleton who was now resting peacefully beside him. He was about to lie down to and finally get to enjoy the stars he'd originally came to see, until a harsh buzzing made him jump. It wasn't his own phone, and Reaper wasn't making any sudden moves to pull his out of his cloak. The other daemon did however starting waving his hand around in the air in a relaxed manner. "Speaking of your soulmate, you should probably answer that. If I had to guess, given that they're phoning a suicidal person, it's probably someone trying to tell him not to jump. Might be a little late, but it probably couldn't hurt to let them know he's not dead."

Sighing, Killer reached over and took the phone out of Dream's pocket, noticing that they both thankfully had the same waterproof case. Guess that explained how it was still working. He went to accept the call, seeing the name 'Cross' on the display. He only hesitated when he noticed a message left on the device's lock screen, stating that there was a message on the phone to be delivered to one of six people, one of them being the same person who was calling. "Answer the damn phone Killer," Reaper growled, his agitated voice cutting through Killer's thoughts.

"Okay, okay... geez," he muttered in response before pressing the button. "H-Hello?"

The line was quiet for a minute before a voice came through, sounding not at all pleased that Killer had answered. " _Who is this?_ "

Finding the aggressive and hostile tone just a bit intimidating, the daemon couldn't help but stutter a bit on the line. "U-Um... Y-You're Cross, right? T-That's what the contact said. Uh, your friend, Dream-"

" _You know where Dream is?_ " The reply was instantly far more hopeful, though there was still an underlying note of suspicion. " _Where is he?_ "

"U-Um, he's here, with me, on the side of the river." God, he felt so awkward as he kept stumbling over his words, completely thrown off by whoever this 'Cross' person was.

A small sound could be heard, like a gasp or something along those lines. " _T-The river?_ " Their voice was instantly more passive, sounding almost fearful as he asked, " _D-Did he...? I-Is he...?_ "

Hearing how the other couldn't bear to finish his questions, Killer quickly stepped in to prevent them from assuming the worst. "He's alive! H-He's alive... not conscious, but he's breathing... now." He coughed a bit, hoping he wasn't making the person worry even more as he probably told him too much of the truth.

Cross let out a shuddering sigh, clearly relieved to hear he was alright. " _Where exactly are you?_ " He gave essentially the same instructions he gave Reaper, describing the location in a bit more detail to avoid any possible confusion. " _Alright, stay right where you are, and don't you dare move Dream. I'm coming to get him... And, thank you._ " Before Killer could even respond to the barely concealed threat or the heartfelt thank you, Killer heard the phone beep, signalling that Cross had hung up.

"Okay, looks like one of Dream's friends is coming to get him," Killer informed, putting the golden skeleton's phone back where he found it before turning to face Reaper. Honestly he was a little surprised the other had stayed silent throughout the call, though he guessed the raven daemon always knew when it was appropriate for that kind of screwing around. Right now definitely wasn't that time.

Smiling, Reaper finally got back to his feet. "Well, that definitely good, though that means I should probably get out of..." The older daemon seemed to notice something, stopping in the middle of his sentence and whirling around to face the surrounding greenery. The look on his face, it honestly screamed murder to the other daemon.

Seeing this reaction, Killer was instantly on his feet too, moving to stand between this unknown threat and his unconscious soulmate. "Reaper, what's wrong?" All the daemons trusted Reaper's reactions, as he had the best eyesight and a natural intuition about certain things that had saved all of them before.

"...Nothing," Reaper finally answered after a lengthy period of silence, cocking his head to the side enough to smirk at Killer. "Just something I have to go... check out." His brother finally dropped his daemon form, his wings retracting before disappearing in the dark folds of his cloak as he began moving away from the water and into the nearby forest. It was only then he realized he should probably do the same with his own form, feeling his porous flesh receding and leaving him with bare bones once again. "You stay here with him. I wouldn't... leave his side too much in the next few days if I were you." He jerked his head back in Dream's direction, now standing at the edge of the treeline. "Keep in touch, inform me of any changes and I'll pass it on to the others. Good luck Killer."

Realizing the raven daemon was about to vanish like he often did, Killer held out a hand and called out to stop him. "Wait, Reaper!" Said skeleton turned to face him, waiting patiently to see what Killer wanted. "Thank you so much for saving him." He'd only realized just now that he hadn't thanked the cloaked skeleton yet for coming to his aid, a very large smile on his face as his gratitude and relief led to tears burning at the backs of his empty sockets.

But Reaper chuckled, waving his hand dismissively through the air. "I'm not the idiot that jumped off of a bridge after him." With that he continued to walk into the forest, completely disappearing in only a few seconds.

"Dream!" A familiar voice grabbed Killer's attention, alerting him to a skeleton dressed primarily in white and black that was now running full speed ahead in their direction. He jumped back as the stranger ground to a halt right beside him, quickly dropping onto his knees beside the golden skeleton. A look of pure and utter relief came over the monochrome skeleton, a small chuckle mixing in with his words. "Oh, thank god you're alive!" Tears pricked the corner of his eyes as the stranger carefully rolled Dream onto his back, inspecting him before letting out a shaky breath. "I am so gonna kick your ass when you wake up." A few tears landed on the monochrome skeleton's hands, making him quickly wipe away the rest. He only seemed to just notice the daemon nearby, turning to face him and jumping a bit at Killer's unusual appearance. "O-Oh, and you are?"

"K-Killer," The daemon almost stuck his hand out in greeting but thought better of it at the last minute, feeling like it would be poorly received at a time like this. He also couldn't help but notice the other's skeptical and suspicious look as he gave his name. "I-I know it's not the best name, but..." He trailed off, feeling awkward and embarrassed as his hand sheepishly rubbed the back of his skull.

The stranger sighed, seeming a little more relaxed than initially. "Cross," he responded in return, his voice far more steady than it was a minute ago. Cross then turned his attention to the nearby bridge, his gaze eventually falling back down to the water's surface as he took note of Dream's soaked clothes. "Did he... D-Did he actually...?" Once again the monochrome skeleton was unable to finish his question, turning to face Killer with a look of horror. Unable to say the answer outright, the frog daemon just turned his head to the side, his eyebrows drawing together as he stared at the rocks beneath his feet. Cross clearly got the message though, tears brimming his eyes again as he turned to face the unconscious skeleton beside him. "O-Oh god..."

Before the other could fall into a state of hysteria, Killer quickly went to reassure Cross of Dream's condition. "H-He's okay... really, he's gonna be just fine."

That reassurance seemed to be what Cross needed, as he calmed down considerably, albeit still shaken by the realization that his friend had tried to take his own life. "Thank you so much for saving him, you have no idea how much it means to me." The teary smile sent his way was enough to convince Killer of the sincerity of the other's words.

"I-It was nothing, really." Being the center of attention was never really his thing, so he felt a little awkward about receiving the other's gratitude. Wanting to shift the focus back onto the more important person here, Killer looked down at Dream's unconscious form. "What are you going to do now?"

Cross sighed, moving to cradle Dream in his arms and get him off the ground. "I'm gonna take this idiot back to my house to keep an eye on him. I literally have someone sick with worry over him, so the sooner I get him back there the better." He was quite clearly frustrated in his friend's actions, but it's not like the daemon could blame him. If any of his brothers thought of taking their own life, then he was pretty sure all six of the rest would beat the shit out of them for threatening to hurt them like that. He couldn't and didn't want to picture Cross hitting Dream, but he could definitely understand where the monochromatic skeleton was coming from.

But there was a slight problem with the other skeleton's plan. Reaper had told him to stay with Dream, especially for the next couple days. So he spoke without even speaking as Cross stood up with the golden skeleton in his arms. "Do you think I could come along? I-I just wanna make sure he's okay, that he wakes up and everything is good."

While Cross clearly wasn't expecting that question, Killer supposed the look on his face was enough to convince him. To be fair he was pretty desperate, definitely not wanting to be separated from his soulmate at all right now. The monochrome skeleton let out a sigh, looking at him with a very tired expression. "If you're really that set on coming, then I guess I can't stop you after everything you've done for him... I don't even know how you did it." Cross looked back over the dark waters with a frown, with Killer easily able to figure out what he was thinking. If it weren't for the fact that his daemon form was naturally aquatic, then there would've been no way for him to keep himself steady in that river, let alone another skeleton and manage to swim to shore not far from the drop point.

"Just... happened to be in the right place at the right time I guess," he chuckled nervously. While that answer was technically true, it was clearly not the kind of answer the monochrome skeleton wanted.

Cross turned away, once again looking to the river and the bridge they'd jumped from. "Right," he muttered under his breath, barely audible and clearly suspicious, but there wasn't anything Killer could do to fix that. As he turned his attention back to the skeleton sleeping in his arms, the monochrome skeleton looked like he was about to burst into tears again. "Why did you do this Dream? God, I'm so sorry," He whispered, sounding heartbroken and forlorn as he grit his teeth and screwed his eyes shut, forcing his tears away.

Seeing the other in such a state, Killer came over and tried to comfort him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be okay." So long as Dream was fine, those words would forever ring true to the daemon, allowing him to deliver them with plenty of conviction.

It seemed to work, as Cross' mood visibly picked up. "Yeah... Come on, if you're tagging along then we better get going. I got someone else that I have to keep watch over, and he's not doing too well right now either." Without another word Cross started walking, a grim expression on his face as he mentioned this other person.

The monochrome skeleton didn't seem bothered at all as he carried Dream, not needing Killer's support at all as he started climbing out of the river valley. That left his hands free to text Reaper and send him an update. _I'm spending the night with the guy who came to get Dream so I can stay with him, can you let Nightmare know that I'll be gone until at least tomorrow, probably later?_

He put his phone back in his pocket, quickly following Cross up the hill and out of the river valley. It took him a while, but Reaper eventually got back to him. _Of course, take care of him and take as long as you need. We all understand._

Thinking about it, Killer wondered if he should maybe leave a message on their group chat, but figured it would just cause the others to freak out. At least if Reaper told them he'd find a way to keep everyone calm and not suddenly scouring the city to find him. _Thanks a bunch Reaper, you have no idea how much I owe you._

He could practically hear the other's relaxed chuckle in Reaper's response as he thanked him once again. _No problem._

Seeing he'd lagged behind to answer the messages, Cross called back to him, "Come on, let's go!" He was clearly in a hurry to get Dream back to his place and check on whoever else he was looking out for.

"R-Right, coming!" Killer put his phone back in his pocket before running after the other skeleton. It wasn't exactly how he thought he'd find his soulmate, but at least he was alive. And Killer wouldn't let anything threaten to take him away like that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anybody think that I'd actually kill Dream off this early? Where would be the fun in that? I wouldn't be able to make the cinnamon roll suffer even more >:)  
> The cinnamon roll is safe... for now...
> 
> I wonder what Reaper's up to?
> 
> And Cross said that someone else isn't doing to well right now...
> 
> Also I hope you guys like the concept of invocations, because they're really fun for me to play with!


	10. Chapter 10

"CC, are you there?"

"Of course I am, where the hell else am I gonna go?" A snarky reply came out of seemingly nowhere as a ghostly image of a small child materialized. His clothes were quite simplistic compared to his companion's, consisting of a black shirt and shorts, with white boots and a white hoodie on over top. Unruly snow white hair fell down from his forehead and into his eyes, barely concealing his scarred right eye that matched the colour of the skeleton's before him. The golden heart locket around his neck made a slight clinking sound as he faded into existence enough to be seen and heard by Cross, the child looking at the monochrome skeleton with mild interest and annoyance.

Cross turned to face him, sighing as a look of worry became clear on his face. "Can you go and check on Geno for me? He's being awfully quiet and I don't want to risk screwing up dinner to do it myself." Of course that would be what he wanted. Nowadays that seemed to be all Cross cared about, making sure that the weaker skeleton wasn't dying or having issues. Sure, CC completely understood it and had no trouble checking up on their adopted brother, but that didn't stop him from worrying about Cross' health too.

"You know exactly what he's gonna say to me, right? It'll be the exact same thing he tells you anytime you start fussing over him for no reason."

"He's got a crack in his skull!"

"He's had worse." CC's monotone response didn't really give Cross a lot of room to argue their case, as they both knew the truth behind that statement. Before either of them could dwell too long on their depressing past, the ghostly child let out a sigh. "I'll go check on him."

He left Cross in the kitchen and floated off, going down the hallway and phasing through the door to Geno's room. It was neat and orderly like always, pretty much the complete opposite of Cross' room. Even the piles of books that sat on the floor because his bookshelf was too full were tidied up and pressed against the wall to avoid being in the way. The only thing currently messy was his desk that he was currently sitting at, looking extremely focused as he went through a notebook in an almost chaotic fashion. Without even looking up from his work, Geno called out to the 'empty' room, "I know you're there, CC. Why don't you stop pretending I don't recognize your presence and give me someone I can talk to?"

That always managed to freak the ghostly child out, how even in this form, where only Cross could see or hear him, Geno always managed to pinpoint his presence and call him out. If he waited too much longer, the scarfed skeleton would probably take a crumpled piece of paper and chuck it directly at him, just to prove he knew exactly where he was. Geno rarely even tried to hide the fact that he wasn't normal when it was just CC or Cross around, but then again the hovering child been reduced to a mere ghost who shared his soul with a skeleton in order to survive. None of them were exactly normal, probably one of the more pleasant reasons that kept them bonded together as their own sort of weird family.

"You know you could at least pretend sometimes that you can't detect me. It would make Cross constantly sending me to check on you a hell of a lot more fun," CC complained as he felt his form solidify. It took a lot more strength and focus to maintain a form that Geno could also see and hear, but he also found the crumpled papers passing through him to be quite annoying and knew the other would keep throwing them at him until he took on his solid form.

Geno looked up from his work for a second, smirking at the child before turning his focus back. "You know I'm fine right? I get that Cross is worried about me but he always is. I don't get why you always agree to check up on me when I'm completely fine."

"To be fair, you do have a crack on the side of your skull."

"And to be fair, we all know I've had worse."

"You think I didn't mention that?" CC hovered a bit closer, moving around to see the right side of his face that was all bandaged up. The child had watched on as Blue had ran to get the first aid kit, with Sci treating the injury as Cross went to try to talk to Dream and Lust was far too angry to do anything other than pace back and forth to try and relieve some of his negative emotions. Cross wasn't the only one willing to drop everything because of the scarfed skeleton, even if the rest of his friends didn't understand how strong he really was. "How is your face, by the way? And don't give me the 'I'm fine' answer you gave Cross."

The skeleton let out a sigh, his right hand dropping his pen to gingerly touch the soft bandages covering the wound. "I'll admit it stings a bit, though it's far from the worst pain I've ever felt. Honestly my episodes are more painful than when I hit the table. It was so clear to me by that fact alone that Dream was never trying to hurt me, he just panicked and something went wrong. I really don't get why everyone lashed out at him the way they did. Couldn't they see he was screaming for help?" Geno was starting to work himself up, growing frustrated that his friends couldn't see what was so blatantly obvious to him.

Knowing that getting himself worked up like this would lead to an episode, CC had to calm his brother down. "Easy there Geno, we don't need you freaking out and getting yourself hurt. You know that you have a talent for reading people and their actions, so I'm not surprised that no one else picked up on that." _That and they were all too concerned over you to even think about worrying over Dream._ Knowing that fact would change it from frustration to guilt, so CC decided to keep that thought to himself, continuing to speak to the other in a calm and soothing manner. "And Cross did go talk to Dream to try and get him to come back inside. He picked up on yours concerns at least."

"Now if only I knew what he said," Geno grumbled, starting to tap his pen against the notebook in front of him. "I have nearly all the information I need, I just need to put all the pieces together. I'm so close to figuring out what's wrong with him, then I can figure out how to help."

CC finally looked at the notebook in front of the scarfed skeleton as he said that, instantly recognizing the bright yellow cover of the book. "Is that why you're writing in Dream's journal?" Geno's ability to pinpoint his friends' troubles didn't just come from observation alone. He would always take those observations and write them down in a journal when he got home, with one corresponding to each of his friends. While a bit creepy, it had led to Geno detecting multiple problems among his friends by compiling careful notes on the behaviours and changes with each one, then using those notes to come up with a solution. Since he didn't have many outside of Cross and CC that he trusted, the child knew that Geno treasured those he'd been willing to befriend, wanting to do everything he could to keep them happy and repay them for their kindness, often even at the cost of his own health. Looking down over the other's shoulder, CC saw that the pages of Dream's journal were crammed full of notes, with arrows and symbols drawn everywhere to try and connect the dots, and that was likely only a couple pages dedicated to the current issue, with the important points from the pages before summarized and added on.

"Mind if I take a look at the other ones?" The ghost gestured to the stack of four other nearly identical notebooks, each cover bearing a different colour and name. It was always fascinating going through Geno's thought process, as he was a genius in his own right when it came to this stuff. The quick nod he got as answer was all he needed before grabbing the one at the bottom of the stack, meaning it had gone the longest without any form of update. The notebook he grabbed was an extremely colourful one, with splashes of random bright colours on a black background, though there were so many different colours you could barely see the black. "Ink? He's not usually at the bottom of the pile."

"Hard to write updates or changes on someone who's never here, though I suppose that fact alone merits some notes at some point." As CC flipped open the book and went to the last page with any writing, it was filled with notes from a conversation with Lust. Apparently their easily distractible friend had found himself a boyfriend to serve as a new distraction. There were notes scribbled to do some further research into relationships, but nothing negative that the child could see. "I'm far from an expert on romance, but according to Lust he seemed really happy with the guy, and his boyfriend didn't seem dangerous or like he would hurt Ink. I do plan on doing some digging, but if he's happy then I'll stay out of it for the most part. Not really any of my business anyways, and he's not currently a concern."

The ghost child had to agree, setting down the colourful notebook and grabbing the next. This one had a purple cover, with a bright blue heart in the center. "Okay, since when is Lust, our resident drama queen, in the bottom half of the stack?"

Geno chuckled a bit, not looking up from the notes he'd started writing. "Since he's acted the most normal... well, normal for him. The only thing of note for him recently has been that he's come across as more excited, practically running off to his practices. Though, guess I now know why..." Geno trailed off, clearly feeling guilt over the night's events despite none of it being his fault.

"Geno, there's no way you could've known," CC started, wanting to help him feel somewhat better but then thinking better of it. Knowing the scarfed skeleton, he'd find some way to turn it around and blame himself, get himself all worked up, and then his soul would act up. Sighing, he set Lust's notebook down and went for the next one, a bright baby blue notebook with an ocean blue star in the middle. "Okay, what's new with Blue?" The last page for Blue talked about his sudden lateness, which CC had to admit was pretty weird for the energetic skeleton. Blue was always so excited and hyper, running from place to place and never late because he was so eager to start something as soon as he could. "Yeah, gotta admit the little guy has been a bit weird lately. What's the current running theory?"

It was obvious the scarfed skeleton recognized the distraction attempt, but seemed to be willing to oblige. "Lust has a pretty solid theory that he met someone, someone that he keeps talking to after class and getting side-tracked by to where he loses track of time. It's the same theory I'm currently going with to explain why Sci's also been so scattered."

"So kinda like Ink huh? You think they might've gotten hit by Cupid's arrow too?"

"I won't rule it out, but just like Ink they both seem happy so I won't intervene. Again, it's a thing to look into once Dream's all sorted out."

Nodding his head in agreement, CC set the blue notebook down and looked at the last one. Sci's notebook, plain white with green equations and symbols for detail, was usually not towards the top. He usually sat towards the bottom ever since his anxiety problem had gotten sorted out. Curious, the ghost child opened the book and flipped to the back, ignoring any of the stuff that was the same as Blue. He thought that would be all there was in there, but something else gave him pause. "You seriously think he's starting to figure us out?"

"I seriously think he's trying to." Geno set his pen down, giving CC his full attention as he pulled the notebook out of the child's hands. "Sci is curious and is always trying to figure things out. And I know that Cross and I have held his attention for quite some time now. He made that quite obvious after watching us spar. He wants the truth, badly, and it drives him nuts that he can't have it. So he's definitely trying to figure out what we're hiding. Thankfully, I'm positive he doesn't have all the pieces needed to learn anything dangerous, but I need to remind Cross to be more careful, especially around him. If one of us lets too much slip, Sci will be on to us faster than Cross on chocolate."

The two shared a laugh as Geno reorganized the notebooks, setting them back into place before turning back to the open one with a sigh. "Think you might be able to give me a hand?" He turned to face the floating child with a smile, tapping the pen against the pages. "I'm missing some pieces myself and I can't move forward without them, maybe you know what I'm looking for?" The child gave a shrug as an answer, figuring he probably wouldn't be of any help but it didn't hurt to try. "Okay, well the biggest piece I'm missing is what happened when Cross ran after Dream. Did you happen to be paying attention to any of that? He came in looking like he'd failed a test and wouldn't tell me anything about it."

CC thought about it, trying to recall what he'd paid attention to as he'd found everyone fussing over Geno to be of more interest. That said, his link with Cross did help him stay aware of what the other was up to, meaning that even if he hadn't been paying attention he still knew some of what happened. "I don't have all the details of the conversation, but I think Dreamy tried to confess to Cross and got shot down."

"Shot down? How hard?" Geno seemed seriously worried by that detail, his hand writing new notes as he flipped to another page and summarized his findings.

"Like pretty hard. You know Cross was never one for tact. In fact I think he ended up calling Dream crazy or something like that."

"What?!" The scarfed skeleton didn't even wait for an answer, his hand scrawling quickly across the page as his mind worked. Geno began mumbling under his breath, too low and fast for CC to understand what he was saying. And then as suddenly as he'd started, he stopped, staring at the page as if he'd made some sort of breakthrough. And from what the ghostly child could see, it wasn't good news.

Geno lurched to his feet, his desk chair sliding back harshly as he reached for his cane. "I need to find Dream, I need to-" His frantic words were cut off by a painful gasp, the hand not holding his cane going to clutch at his chest. Before CC could even react, Geno fell to one knee, abandoning his cane to cover his mouth as he started coughing, not making his breathing any easier.

"Cross!" CC shouted out, tugging at their bond to make sure the other came as soon as possible. In the meantime he tried to offer any sort of help to Geno he could, knowing he wasn't really the best at calming him down when he got worked up like this.

The monochrome skeleton came bursting in at CC's frantic call, freezing for a moment before rushing to Geno's side. He gently moved the smaller, forcing him to uncurl himself and leaning him against the nearby bedframe. "Easy there Geno, just breathe okay? Deep breaths, as deep as you can manage." He turned to face the ghostly child who was hovering nearby, leaving Geno to struggle to take deep breaths while Cross kept rubbing his back for comfort. "What happened?"

"Dunno, he was writing in Dream's journal and trying to figure out what happened at Blue's, then I told him what you said to Dream and he-"

"Wait, you told him?! Why would you tell him?!"

"He asked! Anyways, I told him, he started writing like crazy, then he said something about finding Dream and here we are."

Cross frowned at CC's explanation of events, continuing to calm the scarfed skeleton down through gentle words and comforting gestures while encouraging him to breathe. "Well, what does the book say?" CC stood there for a minute before smacking his head, never even thinking to check what Geno had frantically wrote down. He hovered over, picking up the book and reading through the new notes. He could tell where the new notes started due to how messy Geno's handwriting had suddenly gotten. But as he got to the end, there was a single word circled multiple times, a word that almost made the child drop the notebook. He wordlessly passed it over to Cross, keeping it open to the correct page to let the skeleton see.

"S-Suicidal?" Cross looked to Geno in shock, the smaller having now calmed down despite still breathing heavily. "Geno, if this is because of what I said-"

"Cross, I love you dearly, but you are such an idiot sometimes," Geno sighed as he cut him off, looking up tiredly at the other skeleton. "What you said is only a piece of the problem, but I'll admit it's a pretty significant one. Dream's been crushing on you for the past year, and you pretty much called him crazy for having these feelings. He confessed to you when he was already pretty low, and you managed to shoot him down in the most brutal way possible."

That piece of information seemed to stun the monochrome skeleton into silence, clearly having not been aware of how big his mistake was. "I... I didn't know..."

"Dude, I honestly don't know how you never figured it out," CC scoffed, floating down next to the two of them. "He was so head over heels for you that everyone else could see it except you! Hell, Geno had it pegged in less than a week it was so obvious!"

"This is Geno we're talking about! Everything is obvious to him when it comes to this kind of stuff!"

"Yeah, but I think we can all agree that you're completely oblivious to the most basic things!"

"You wanna run that by me again or should I-"

"Enough!" Geno interrupted the squabbling brothers, clearly not in the mood to listen to them bicker back and forth. "What's done is done. We can't change the past, so we can only change what happens moving forward." His expression became even darker, clearly not liking where his train of thought was going. "I think that Dream is in serious danger of hurting himself, or worse, so we need to find him right away. Cross, what direction did he run after you spoke with him?"

"Uh, north, towards the river." Cross suddenly stood up, pulling out his phone as he did so. "I'll try to call him, and if he doesn't answer I'll call the others to see if they can get a hold of him." He left the room, leaving CC to watching over Geno and keep him from stressing himself out again. He didn't really see the point though in trying to call him, since the ghostly child figured that his brother would be the last person Dream would want to speak to right now.

The child turned his attention to Geno, who had also pulled out his phone and was looking at google maps. "What are you doing now?"

"Trying to figure out any possible location he might've gone if he was seriously considering taking his own life. If he ran north, then he likely wouldn't have deviated and suddenly turned south. He's also pretty likely to run north for as long as he could since he probably wouldn't really care about where he was going so long as he could run. Based off of that and the time he's been gone for, I'm trying to map out possible paths he might've taken to find out where he's at right now." Geno's eye scanned the screen in front of him, working to map out where the golden skeleton might've ran to.

"Journal." He held out his hand, the other hand still scrolling across the map as CC wordlessly passed the yellow notebook with the sun emblazoned on the front cover to him. "Pen." Once he had both, the scarfed skeleton started sketching lines across a new page, all originating from a single dot that the child guessed to be Blue's house, Dream's last known location.

As Geno worked on this, Cross came back in, shaking his head as CC looked to him for an answer. "None of the others have seen or heard from Dream. They're all trying to get a hold of him now that they know how worried you are, though I didn't tell them anything about suicide so that they wouldn't freak out. Hope that was the right call." The smaller nodded as he continued tracing possible paths, a few being marked with arrow heads while a couple reached different circles. There was one circle though that seemed to have multiple paths connecting to it.

CC wasn't even sure if Geno was aware of that little detail, his hand moving without his eye seeing what it was doing. "Hey, uh Geno? What's this dot right here mean? You've got an awful lot of lines going into it, is that good?"

The scarfed skeleton seemed to snap out of his trance at the sound of his name, looking down at the notebook to see what the other was talking about. His eye flicked back and forth between his phone and the book for a second before he started typing frantically, already starting to get worked up. Both CC and Cross shared a worried look, knowing just how bad back-to-back episodes were on his fragile soul, with both trying to get him to calm down and relax.

But their efforts proved to be in vain as Geno's phone tumbled out of his grasp, his breathing picking up and his eyelight shrinking from his realization. "S-Suicide S-Street," he stuttered, making the other two freeze. Suicide Street was the infamous nickname of an old bridge north of the university area, in a part of the city that had been pretty much written off by the local government. The bridge was in need of such serious repairs that it was almost impossible to cross, either by vehicle or by the pedestrian pathways, and most people didn't dare go on the bridge for fear of it finally giving out and collapsing underneath them. The only people that ever seemed to go there were people looking to commit suicide by jumping into the river, as the bridge lacked proper safety rails to prevent people from jumping. And despite the number of lives lost on the infamous bridge, the government never seemed to have it in the budget to fix the failing structure, even though they had plenty of room for the mayor's ridiculous salary.

That bridge seemed to be where most of Geno's paths ended up, meaning it was the most likely place for him to be. "O-Okay, I-I can run there and stop him from jumping if he's there!" Cross offered, trying to propose something that would keep everyone, especially the scarfed skeleton, from freaking out.

Tears streamed down Geno's face as he shook his head. "Too late... we're too late..." Confused, CC turned to the phone and saw that Geno had used the app to find the time it would take Dream to run from Blue's house to that bridge. Google was estimating a time of about twenty minutes. Dream had been missing for around an hour.

Any chance for either Cross or CC to worry about Dream's fate though was suddenly overshadowed by the skeleton in their arms as he started gasping for air. Geno clawed at his chest, the journal flying off his lap as he struggled to breathe. And before either of the other two could intervene to try and help him, the scarfed skeleton started coughing, his hand flying to his mouth on reflex. Cross reacted as quickly as he could, trying to get Geno to breathe deeply as always, but CC's attention was on the hand clamped over Geno's mouth. Dread overtook the ghostly child as a dark liquid began slowly seeping between his fingers, alerting CC to the severity of the episode. "I'm going for the kit!" He blurted out, flying off to leave Cross with their brother, knowing that the monochrome skeleton would understand and react appropriately.

Because of the instability of Geno's health, there was a large medical kit filled with several instruments and medications in cases of emergencies. It was to hopefully limit the amount of time the scarfed skeleton needed to be in a hospital and ensure his health remained somewhat stable if an ambulance was required. Ripping the kit off of the shelf in the bathroom, CC flew back in to find Cross had already moved the smaller skeleton into his bed and had taken off his jacket, exposing his arms enough for them to work.

CC set the kit down on the desk, opening it up and grabbing the required items on reflex. Very first was a sedative that would calm his stressed soul and allow him to rest. The ghostly child handed his counterpart the needle, helping to keep Geno's left arm still as he injected the drug. While they waited for that to take effect, CC went back to the bathroom to grab the large oxygen tank stored there while Cross set up the breathing mask.

The two worked like clockwork, moving supplies over and using the correct medication over years of experience. With the oxygen set up, Cross helped remove some of the coughed up blood before placing the mask over his mouth and nose, securing it around his skull and leaning him gently down into the bed. CC then focused on getting the soul monitor on, carefully slipping his small hands underneath Geno's shirt to attach the probe to his broken soul. He didn't dare look, knowing just how much the scarfed skeleton hated anyone seeing his soul, and instead navigated his chest cavity through touch and memory to secure the monitor without any issue.

With the soul monitor up and running, Cross gently pet the smaller's skull to help him calm down, frowning as Geno's face contorted in pain and he continued to gasp for air and cough up small specks of blood. Pulling away and pulling the covers up on him, he looked sternly at his counterpart. "Administer the painkiller, I'm gonna get a head start on getting to that bridge. Stay here with him as long as you can, then we'll meet up once I get too far away." He didn't even wait for a response before bolting out of the room, leaving the two behind.

CC was vaguely aware of the quick progress Cross was making, but blocked most of it out to focus on Geno. He grabbed another syringe, this one with a high strength painkiller in it that would ensure the weak skeleton got all the rest that he desperately needed in order to stay out of the hospital. "Sorry Geno, looks like I get to stick another one in your arm." He maneuvered over to inject the medicine in the same arm as the sedatives, earning a subtle whine but minimal resistance. It seemed the sedative was already starting to kick in, the monitor registering the decrease in speed of his soul. He looked over to see Geno staring wearily back at him, fighting the sedative's effects despite that it was best for him. "Just rest Geno, everything's gonna be alright. We're going to find Dream and bring him back here, and then we'll kick his ass for making you worry like this. But we need you to get some rest and stay out the hospital for once. Can you do that?" He kept his voice calm and soothing, gently rubbing Geno's arm as he tried to coax his stubborn brother to sleep.

The scarfed skeleton gave him a weak nod, finally seeming to give up fighting the sedative as his eye slipped closed and his head lolled slightly to one side. The ghostly child watched him for a bit, his physical form slipping away now that he didn't really need it. The monitors weren't showing anything abnormal or dangerous... well for Geno at least, any other person with readings like this and the doctors would be freaking out and amassing an army of nurses.

Pretty much right on cue, CC felt his bond with Cross pulling him away, sparing one last glance at the now sleeping skeleton to ensure there weren't any immediate issues before feeling himself fade from existence and reappear in his spectral form next to his counterpart. "Geno's asleep and nothing seems to be too terribly wrong. Have no idea how he's gonna be when he wakes up though."

"Well, we can deal with that later. Right now our priority is finding Dream, otherwise he's only gonna get worse once he wakes up." Both of them knew that it would be extremely bad for Geno's health, downright destructive, if the golden skeleton wasn't in their apartment by the time he woke up.

CC sighed, racking his brain for ideas as to what to do. "Well, you could always try calling him again."

"And what would be the point of that?" Cross snapped back, clearly seeing it as nothing but a waste of time.

The ghostly child just rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, you big baby, you can walk and talk at the same time can't you? It's been a while since you last tried calling him, so just give it a shot. What have you got to lose?"

Growling, Cross pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Dream's number, continuing to run as he waited for the phone to either be answered or to go to voicemail. What both of them weren't expecting was for the phone to be answered, though clearly whoever was on the phone wasn't the golden skeleton as Cross growled, "Who is this?"

CC listened to the conversation, not one hundred percent sure what was going on since he could only hear half of it. But judging from his brother's reactions, the stranger that answered the phone had found Dream after he'd jumped into the river and had given the monochrome skeleton directions to where they were, reflected by Cross' sudden change of course as he dove into the trees. It was quite easy for the ghostly child to keep up with him, considering he passed right through all the trees in his current form. This was a good thing, as his thoughts were a bit too preoccupied with what they might find when they cleared the forest to be dodging branches. Dream had actually jumped off of Suicide Street and survived somehow, but there was no guarantee that he'd be in good condition when they got to him, and that would probably end up being just as bad for Geno as if they found him dead.

The trees gave way to a pathway, allowing Cross to fully sprint down towards the river's edge. The second two figures could be seen, one bearing a distinctive gold palette, Cross called out to his friend while completely ignoring the somewhat ominous skeleton with black marks trailing from his voided sockets. As the two talked, CC kept his eyes on the skeleton known as Killer, finding him to be quite interesting. He seemed imposing and dangerous at first glance, his name not helping things, but as they talked he sounded far softer than he looked. Still, looks could be deceiving, and so could first impressions. So CC kept his focus on him, remaining undetectable and prepared to alert Cross the second anything seemed off. It was this strategy that let them keep up with Geno's insane magic, CC essentially calling out any attack that Cross wouldn't be able to see and instructing him on how to react. They'd done it for years, having complete faith in each other's teamwork and ability to respond. It was either that, or have their asses handed to them even faster every time they went up against their brother.

Thankfully at least Dream was miraculously okay. Neither of them had any idea how, with Killer seeming reluctant to part with truthful details, but the golden skeleton was far more important than whatever the truth was. CC just watched on as the monochrome skeleton effortlessly picked him up, cradling the smaller skeleton protectively in his arms as if something else might happen to him tonight.

The ghost child couldn't keep from letting out a groan though as Cross instantly agreed to let the stranger into their home, making use of the fact that only Cross could hear him in his spectral form to openly complain about the other's decision. "Seriously? Why the hell did you agree? It's bad enough that Dream has to be there, but I get why. I don't care if this guy saved his life, he's an outsider and he's dangerous! What if he takes advantage of this to go after Geno? What if he's secretly a hunter?" There was also the fact that with two strangers in the house, it would be extremely complicated for him to communicate with or help either of his brothers.

Cross sighed, checking over his shoulder to see that the other skeleton was distracted by his phone. Still taking precautions to avoid making a huge mistake, Cross defaulted to mental communication, speaking through his mind using the bond the two shared. It took more focus, meaning he stopped walking in order to respond, but it was better than letting something important slip or at the very least being caught 'talking to himself'. " _I seriously doubt that he's a hunter. He doesn't seem to have the right vibe, and you haven't noticed anything yet to suggest otherwise. I get your fears, but we owe this guy and you know it. Don't think I won't take precautions to keep Geno safe. We can easily lock his room, and if you're still worried you can stay with him, but I promise I won't let anything happen to him, not after everything he's done for us. Now let's get moving before something else goes wrong._ "

Finished with their little talk, Cross called for the other to hurry up and began walking up the path again, making it clear that he probably wouldn't respond to his counterpart again until they got home unless it was an emergency. And to prevent any more unexpected emergencies from popping up, CC kept his guard up and continued to scan the surrounding area, making sure to keep an eye on Killer as well in case his fears were justified.

And because he kept scanning the nearby area, he was alerted to the presence of two other beings in the forest. While not in their immediate vicinity, they were still close enough to give him pause. "Heads up Cross, we're not alone. Two people are in the forest on your left side, far enough away to not be of immediate concern. One seems pretty weak, but the other is strong, like don't mess with them without magic strong." Though there was something off about the powerful being, as if something was trying to conceal him from detection. The skeleton gave the tiniest of nods, almost imperceptible except for CC's experience in reading his reactions. He also noticed his brother pick up his pace a bit at the comment.

Keeping his focus between the two beings in the forest and Killer below him, the ghostly child could sense that powerful and dangerous presence moving closer to the other, weaker one. Were they allies or teammates? Nope, that was definitely not the case as the weaker presence suddenly vanished, shortly after the stronger one had chased after it. "Okay, weak guy's dead now."

And shortly after, the remaining presence went... up? CC whipped his head around in the direction of the entity, and yet found his presence quickly fading away as it moved out of range. "And the other guy's gone too. Either they were a bird monster of some sort or a human with like a jetpack." A slight shake of Cross' head told him his theories were likely wrong, causing him to rethink things. Human with jetpack seemed highly unfeasible given that that kind of technology was extremely limited and would've been something they both would've heard. And the power he felt was far too strong to be a normal monster, so it was clearly something else, something far more dangerous. But since they were leaving, the ghostly child figured it best to leave the matter be, thinking it over in the back of his mind as he continued to monitor Killer.

It took them about half an hour to make it back home, with Cross taking his time due to the two skeletons with him. Killer was surprisingly helpful, getting the doors for the monochrome skeleton so that he wouldn't have to shift Dream in the slightest. Once inside the apartment, Cross went straight for his room, gently setting the golden skeleton in his arms down on the bed before pulling the covers over him. Meanwhile Killer seemed to be a bit put off by the chaotic state of Cross' room, causing CC to snicker quietly.

The two left without a single word, not wanting to disturb the rest that the smaller skeleton definitely needed. As soon as Cross closed the door, he let out a sigh, his shoulders sagging in relief that his friend was alive and safe, and that Geno would be able to rest easy once he learned of this. At the thought of his brother, CC grew anxious to check on him, leaving Cross to direct their other guest to the couch where he'd be able to sleep.

The ghostly child phased through the door, solidifying into his physical form as he saw the scarfed skeleton was still resting peacefully. The stress though had left a red stain arcing across his white t-shirt, his old wound acting up again and beginning to bleed through the thin fabric. There wasn't much CC could do about it without potentially disturbing his rest, settling for grabbing one of his old shirts that had already been ruined by blood stains and placing it gently over top, hopefully preventing damage to the scarfed skeleton's bedsheets. He prayed that it wouldn't bleed though that, otherwise that would mean a trip to the hospital.

After adjusting the covers on Geno to better cover him, CC turned his attention to the other skeletons in the house, focusing on their presences as he inspected all of the equipment in the room. Cross' presence was familiar of course, feeling like a part of himself that was simply disconnected. And then there was Dream, less familiar but still well-known to the ghostly child due to how much time his counterpart spent in the golden skeleton's company. He seemed to be weak but stable, his strength returning ever so slowly as he rested. From the feel of it, he probably owed his life to someone as his energy simply felt too weak to have survived the jump on his own.

But then there was the stranger, Killer. His presence was more powerful than he'd initially anticipated, clearly far stronger than he appeared to be. While his power wasn't the same as the being from the forest, there was something... similar between them, and a familiarity that CC couldn't place.

It wasn't long before Cross came into Geno's room, locking the door behind them to keep their guest from getting nosy. CC had kept himself busy by cleaning up the small mess they'd made earlier, knowing just how much Geno loved his room being perfectly tidy. "Everything seems pretty normal so far. He's bleeding of course but his readings are stable."

Even with his counterpart's report, Cross still seemed to have the need to inspect everything himself before settling down. "Well, hopefully the bleeding stops by morning. He should be fine otherwise." The monochrome skeleton sighed as he settled down into a chair, rubbing at his eyes in exhaustion from the night's events. "So, what are your thoughts on our new friend? I'm assuming you've done your usual check."

"Of course I have. What do you take me for, an amateur?" He hovered next to his brother, frowning at the feeling he got from the strange skeleton. "There's something... off about him. He's way more powerful than he seems, and that's only part of it. There's something the same between him and the one I sensed in the forest, something that I don't think I like."

Cross frowned at this information, clearly not liking his decision to let the other stay now. "You think he's a threat?"

"I think he could be if he wanted to be. He seems pretty docile though, all things considered. If he wanted to hurt us, it would've made sense to attack us on the way back while you were occupied with Dream." The child sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I just can't shake the feeling that I've felt something like him before."

Seeing the other dive into thought to place the feeling, Cross remained silent to allow his brother to work. It was one of the things CC was honestly best at, given his spiritual nature he was more in tune with energy, especially the energies of a soul. He focused entirely on Killer, trying to discern what power was hidden beneath a layer of protective magic. Then it hit him, his eyes flying open as he remembered feeling the exact same way about the insanely powerful entity from the forest. Now he could clearly remember the powerful and dangerous presence he could sense from the skeleton asleep on their couch, having encountered it plenty of times before in the past. "Oh shit... Whoever that was in the forest, I think they were a daemon. And... I think Killer's one too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens >:)
> 
> 10 chapters in! Let me know what you think is happening behind the scenes, I love hearing everyone's theories!


	11. Chapter 10.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a special one that'll get the plot ball rolling beyond just ships. Expect special chapters like this every 10-ish chapters.
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains violence and gore, please read at your own discretion.

_Initializing..._

_Link to HQ established, please wait..._

_Welcome Hunter Frost, ID# 38193._

_Please specify your reason for contacting HQ._

"I'd like to report a daemon sighting."

_Acknowledged, please stand by while we connect to your visual sensors._

Carson Frost was a simple family man. He had a wife, two adorable daughters, and enjoyed his job working at a meat packing plant. But while his job allowed him to occasionally bring home bad cuts of meat for his family to enjoy, it often just wasn't enough to make ends meet. He wanted to give his girls the world, so he'd sought out additional sources of income.

As he'd been looking, trying to avoid any dealings with shady characters that would cause his family more grief in the long run, he'd turned to hunting. Not deer or ducks, but oddities and monsters. He'd signed up to become a hunter, finding that his natural physique from his work had made him well suited to the physical requirements of the job. The best part about it was that there were no real drawbacks. He could moonlight as a hunter whenever he wanted, and the pay he received for any catch came with no strings attached. It meant that he could spend time with his loving family, while still being able to provide them a more lavish lifestyle than he'd be able to afford otherwise.

And if what he saw before him really were a couple of daemons, then his paycheck for this could be enough to last his family for a couple years or more. He'd definitely get bumped up to a silver rank hunter if that were the case, clearing him for more impressive jobs that he could partake in after enjoying some of the money this would bring him.

_Daemon sighting confirmed. Cross-referencing images against database of known daemons for further information. Please wait..._

Carson felt his pulse quicken, his hold on the gun in his hand shifting as he prepared to line up the shot.

_Warning! Confirmed daemons are B and S class, third monster remains unconfirmed and shall be treated as A class daemon until further information available. Copper rank clearance insufficient to engage. Please withdraw from the area, a diamond rank hunter will be dispatched shortly._

The hunter froze, taking a minute to let the instructions given to him sink in. One of those daemons were S class? But they didn't seem that strong from here! He remembered his initial training when he'd signed up, debriefing him on classifications for both the hunters and their various prey. Daemons were one of the most sought after prizes for a hunter because of their strength and power, meaning that the ranking system had been designed to make it clear when one of the monsters was too powerful for the hunter to manage.

Both hunters and daemons were ranked on a five point scale. For hunters it started at copper, the lowest rank that all new recruits started at unless extenuating circumstances were present. Hunters would then proceed through to silver, gold, and then diamond ranks based on their catches and experience. There was a rank above diamond, known as platinum, but there were currently only three platinum ranked hunters in the world and their skills were beyond what a human should be capable of. Apparently there used to be five, but two of the platinum ranked hunters had been labelled missing in action for years, with no one ever hearing from them.

The daemon ranking system had been designed to directly reflect the hunter system, starting at C class for the weakest daemons, followed by B, A, S, and finally X for the most powerful daemons in the world. The rule for engaging daemons was that they had to be equal to the hunter's rank or lower, meaning that as a copper rank he could only pursue C class daemons. Well, technically there was nothing stopping him from going after the two, potentially three daemons in front of him, but based on those rankings it would be suicidal. The B class daemon would be enough to easily kill the inexperienced hunter, and that wasn't even including the insanely powerful S class on sight.

Not wanting to die tonight, Carson decided that following HQ's instructions was the best thing possible. He lowered his gun, slowly retreating into the trees before he was spotted. He wasn't slow enough though, as his movement served to bring the gaze of one of the daemons directly on him, not in his general area, but directly on him. Carson could only assume from the power he could practically feel from their gaze that it was the S class, their jet black wings blending into the dark cloak that it wore over its skeletal form. It had seen him, and the look on the daemon's face screamed pure murder.

It was moments like this that the hunter questioned why the armour he'd been given was snow white. The thick white plates stuck out in huge contrast to the dark forest surrounding him, practically leaving him as a bright beacon to the skeleton now advancing to the treelines. Sure, the plates were lightweight and he was pretty well protected with a Kevlar bodysuit underneath, allowing him to move while still feeling secure in going up against dangerous monsters. And he'd heard the spiel about how the armour was a symbol of the hunters being the champions of light in the darkness. But for crying out loud, the colour didn't have to reflect that metaphor! Black, or camo, or anything would've been better right now.

So when the daemon turned his back to talk to the other one, Carson ran. He ran for his life, knowing that if the daemon caught him he'd be dead. He couldn't hide while wearing his armour, he had no chance of succeeding with that. All he could do was try to get out of the woods and find other people, praying that the daemon wouldn't risk outing himself to all those people just to silence him.

The forest terrain was not his friend though, and it wasn't long before the snapping of branches and a deep, rumbling laugh could be heard behind him. "What's wrong little human? Why are you running away? Come on, _let's play_."

"No thanks, I'm good!" He yelled back at his pursuer, earning another round of laughter from the skeleton.

"Fine then, I guess I'll have to make my own entertainment," the daemon purred, before the distinct sound of his footsteps behind the hunter disappeared. There was no way he was going to stop, not even to turn back, otherwise he'd just be that foolish idiot that died like it was a horror movie. He did stop though when moonlight reflected on metal just before a tree ahead of him came crashing down. While Carson couldn't see the daemon, he knew the skeleton was responsible, so he spun on his heel and ran. That was until the path behind him was cut off as well, leaving him trapped unless he wanted to try running through the dense cluttering of trees on either side of him.

If he couldn't run, he had to fight. That's what motivated him to draw and ready his gun. It wasn't the conventional type that fired bullets, but rather compressed magical energy. AMP firearms, or Augmented Magical Projectile guns, were standard issue to all hunters and relied on magic for power. Condensed energy cartridges could provide several rounds of fire like a magazine for a traditional gun, allowing the user to avoid drawing on their own energy, which was great for humans who had pretty limited supplies of usable energy compared to monsters. Best of all, it was quieter than a silenced firearm and could be smaller most times, meaning that they were a lot less conspicuous. Almost made up for the horrendously conspicuous armour. "Alright you bastard, show yourself and give me the payday of a fucking lifetime!"

"How cute, the human wants to play. He even thinks he has a chance at winning." The daemon's voice seemed to come from every direction, with no direct mean of pinpointing his location. He then started reciting some strange poetry out of nowhere, which wasn't really helping Carson's nerves. He was about to go against the second strongest classification of daemons, and he had no clue how he was going to survive this, of course creepy poetry from a guy that looked like the grim reaper was going to freak him out. " _Echoed whispers, a fleeting dream, the world around no longer what it seems. Enter the realm of everlasting gloom, a prison, a cage, an unwilling tomb. Let your lips be sewn shut and your cries go unheard, let the world lose sight of the simple calls of a bird. Nothing shall save you, no mortal science, now that you're trapped in the realm of silence._ "

_Connection to HQ lost. Attempting to reconnect, please wait..._

Instantly everything was silent, the sounds of the forest dying off the same time he lost contact. No crickets, no birds, not even sounds from his own footfall as he shakily took a step back. "W-What the hell's going on?!" He screamed, but even his own voice seemed muffled and distant, as if the words came from somewhere further away than his own mouth. If he thought he was freaked out before, he was now absolutely terrified. Just what the hell was he up against?

The daemon's voice remained crystal clear despite whatever he did, laughing at the hunter's fear and still refusing to show himself. "Aw, is the little human scared? Don't worry, I just gave us a little privacy to play in. Wouldn't want any nosy people looking where they shouldn't be. No, I want your screams of pain and terror to be all to myself."

No, he wouldn't let the daemon get what they wanted, he wouldn't give this bastard the satisfaction of seeing his fear any longer. Tightening his grip on his gun, Carson took a deep breath to calm himself before scanning his surroundings, making sure to keep checking his backside to avoid being caught off guard. He didn't need to hear himself or any of the background noise in order to take him down, all he needed was to hear the skeleton, see him one time and take the shot. That was all he needed.

"Wow, I guess I should've given you more credit, I was expecting someone as weak as you to already be wetting himself in terror," the daemon cackled, taunting him from the shadows. But there was something different this time. His voice seemed more distinct, with less of an echo effect to stop the hunter from pinpointing his location. It was almost like he was...

Carson whirled around and fired, both the sound of his shot and his curse that followed lost to the silence as he realized he missed. "Oho, so you're actually gonna fight back?" The echo was back, forcing him to begin scanning again. "Oh, this is so much more fun than I was expecting it to be! You're far less disappointing than most of your fellow hunters, but don't worry... _I'll have you begging for your life in no time._ " The voice took on a sinister darkness to it, sending a wave of fear running through him that it took every fibre of his being to suppress.

As he continued to scan in circles, sweat dripping down the back of his neck, a flash of movement could be seen out of the corner of his eye. Without hesitating he turned to fire, only for a taunting, "Missed me~" to follow. Growing frustrated, his movements became quicker as he kept trying to find his target, trying to do it quickly to avoid the possibility of the powerful skeleton growing bored of his antics. When he felt something rain down on his head, the gun was pointed up and the trigger was pulled before he even knew what it was.

"Aw, you burnt my snack!" The daemon complained, fading back into the shadows after his place over top of him had been discovered. What was really infuriating was how Carson never notice the winged skeleton hovering above him and munching on trail mix. "By the way, I think you have a raisin in your hair." This freak was just mocking him!

While he couldn't hear his own words clearly, he knew that the daemon could hear him easily. "You fucking freak, stop treating me like I'm a fool! You think you're so funny, but I'm not scared of your little magic trick, or your fucking ranking! I'm the one with the gun and the armour, and what do you have? A pair of wings that are about to get clipped! I'm not scared of you, so come out here and face me!"

Silence greeted him for the first bit, and while he was still well within the supposed field of silence created by the skeleton, this was different. There was almost a pressure to it, as if the whole world was hanging on the daemon's response. "You know," he finally started in his deep and echoing voice, his words losing the playful tone they'd held earlier as something darker and more sinister filled the void. "I wouldn't lie to myself like that if I were you. I know you're afraid, I can practically _smell_ your fear." A step could be heard behind the hunter, but by the time he realized no one was there, he'd already pulled the trigger again.

"In your fear, you make bold claims filled with bravado in a desperate attempt to hide how terrified of me you are." Another step, another missed shot. "Look at you, so jumpy that you blindly shoot wherever I lead you to." Gritting his teeth, Carson told himself over and over again to not fall for his trick again. He moved his finger away from the trigger, preventing himself from needlessly firing.

"You humans are such a predictable bunch, especially you hunters. You hide behind your fancy toys and gadgets when the bulk of you couldn't even handle yourselves in a drunken brawl. And when you try not to rely on them..." Another step could be heard from behind, and while he refused to blindly shoot again, the proximity of the sound made him turn to face it. This brought him face to face with the skeleton's empty eyes, a wide grin cutting across his skull in an almost unnatural way. The experience of screaming without being able to hear yourself is certainly an unusual one, one that Carson was quickly subjected to as the skeleton's jump scare sent him flying backwards onto his back, scrambling to get away while his shaky hand tried to fire. And as soon as the daemon appeared he was gone, the shot harmlessly passing through thin air.

All around him he could hear that dark, taunting cackle, the sound filling up everywhere with no other sounds to compete with. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about, you tried to face me without your precious little toy only to scream like a little girl! You're weak, pathetic, nothing! You fell flat on your ass when I did exactly as you asked and faced you, literally. So tell me, how do you intend to defeat me, hmm?"

The cockiness in his tone was only surpassed by the rising dread in the hunter as he realized that his 'prey' was right, he really didn't stand a chance. He could only see and hear him when the skeleton wanted to be seen or heard. The daemon could've easily killed him several times, the only reason he was still alive being that he was a source of entertainment to the cloaked skeleton. He couldn't fight, he needed to run. Why in the world did he ever think he could fight?

"Thinking of running?" The voice came from behind him, and with his earlier confidence gone, he was back to pulling the trigger without even looking, wasting another shot. But the more important thing was the fact that the daemon had caught on to the fact that he was trying to find a way out of this. What gave it away? Or did the skeleton pulled some sort of trick like he did with the silence field? "It's pointless really, I don't let my toys run away from me. Speaking of toys though, I can't but notice yours. If that little copper marking on your chest wasn't enough of an indication how much of a rookie you are, then that certainly would be."

Before Carson could comprehend, the winged daemon was right beside him, boney fingers fiddling with his gun. "Yep, just as I expected, standard issue AMP rifle, no modifications or adjustments made as of yet. Wow, you really are a rookie, and you seriously thought you stood a chance against me? Tsk tsk, someone's overestimating themselves." Panic seized the hunter, causing him to violently rip his gun away and take a shot. He didn't miss because the daemon had moved though, he missed this time due to how badly his hands were shaking. In fact, his target hadn't moved an inch, as if he knew he didn't have to.

"Like I said, you're all the same," the daemon purred, a devilish grin on his face as he started walking towards the now terrified hunter. "You think a simple little toy like that gives you power, that your flimsy armour makes you invulnerable. But you have no idea what real power is, or how weak and insignificant you are."

As the skeleton steadily approached, Carson scurried back, eager to put as much distance between them as possible. "S-Stay back!" He screamed, the field of silence once again deafening his cries to his own ears as he raised his rifle. With how badly his hands were now shaking, it took everything he had to steady his shot. But with the way he saw his target's grin grow wider as he pulled the trigger, he already knew he would miss. The cloaked skeleton merely tilted his head to one side, the shot whizzing past and through where his head used to be.

"Wow, I'm impressed that you could be so accurate in such a state, I actually had to dodge that one!" He exclaimed with glee, somehow making it sound like both a compliment and mockery at the same time. "You might've even made a decent hunter had you not ran into me tonight. But I'm afraid our time together is drawing to a close."

What did he mean by that? Was he finally getting bored of toying with him? No, Carson wouldn't let that happen. Like he'd told himself earlier, all he needed was one good shot, and this would all be over. A surge of adrenaline ran through his system, helping him steady his hands. Standing his ground, the hunter lined up his shot, this time aiming for where the skeleton's soul would be. He'd have to move his entire body to dodge it, so he likely wouldn't be fast enough. _For my little girls, I'm not gonna die tonight. I'm gonna take this bastard down and use the money I get to give you girls the life you deserve. This is for you, my little angels._ Steeling himself, Carson made sure his shot was perfectly lined up and fired.

He could practically watch the shot soar through the air in slow motion, its trajectory straight on target as it ripped through the air. But just as it was supposed to connect, a flash bisected it, causing the magic to lose its form and dissipate harmlessly before reaching its target. When the initial shock wore off, the hunter's eyes went wide at the sight of the gleaming scythe now clutched in the daemon's hands. "Nice try, but it wasn't enough," the daemon said, continuing his advance with the weapon now firmly in his grip.

Gritting his teeth, Carson knew he couldn't let that display deter him. He might've been able to cut one shot down, but how would he deal with a barrage? This new idea in his mind, he clenched the trigger and held it... but nothing happened. Panicking, he repeatedly squeezed the trigger, only for nothing to happen. "Fun fact about those standard issue rifles," the daemon's voice reached him again, radiating from every direction as he'd once again vanished into thin air. "They tend to have limited ammunition, a ten round limit if I'm not mistaken. If my little spell wasn't in effect, you would've just heard several little clicks coming from your little toy."

Several clicks? But then that meant... "Looks like you should've been counting, friend. You're out." Carson could practically feel the ominous presence of the daemon behind him, leaving every part of his body rigid save for one arm. That arm was slowly reaching down for the spare magazine of ammunition he had, only to freeze as he found it missing. "Yeah, I took the liberty of removing that from you a while ago, you were too busy being scared though to notice. Guessed that you'd figure out that a single shot at a time was useless by the time you got through the first ten rounds, didn't want to take any chances. No, your time's up my friend."

He was out of ammunition... he didn't have any way to fight back... oh god what the hell was he gonna do? Glancing down at the gun in his hand, his lips pressed into a thin line as he considered his last resort. The rifle in his hands wasn't exactly small, and while built to be lightweight enough for extended travel it had some serious weight to it. With a battle cry full of fear and desperation, Carson spun on his heel and raised the gun high, planning to bring it crashing down on top of the daemon's head.

Except the skeleton was gone by the time the hit would've connected, his strike passing through the air in front of him harmlessly. Except... there was something wrong, the weight of the gun was suddenly gone. Had it fallen from his grip? No, no he needed it, it was his only weapon! Even if it'd been reduced to a glorified club, it was the only thing he had for defence! Where was it?! He began frantically scanning the ground in front of him, trying to catch sight of it as quickly as he could before the daemon reappeared to strike while he was vulnerable.

"You're looking a little lost there, friend. Here, let me _give you a hand_." That voice, that same mocking and sinister voice that would probably haunt him for the rest of his life, was right behind him. Whirling around, he came face to face with the skeleton again, though this time he appeared to be far less threatening, practically leaning on his scythe with a lazy atmosphere to him as he simply handed over his gun... With his hand still holding it...

It only now seemed to occur that there was something more serious than his gun being missing. That was his hand, blood spurting out of it as it maintained its death grip on the rifle despite having been severed completely. The blinding agony only kicked in once he caught sight of the bloody stump of his wrist, flesh and bone on full display. Despite the fact that he could practically feel himself straining his vocal cords screaming, his own voice remained muffled and muted to himself as he clutched at the heavily bleeding wound. But it was very clear from the sadistic grin on the daemon's face that the cloaked figure could very clearly hear his screams and was enjoying every minute of it.

Moonlight flashed off of the blade of the scythe, now stained crimson with Carson's blood, as the skeleton took a step forward as if to hand the gun back. Terrified of what would happen if he let him get close again, the hunter stumbled back as he clutched his severed wrist to his chest. "Rude, and after I tried to be nice and give you back your precious toy," the skeleton snickered, faking an insulted look. Tossing the gun carelessly to the side, the daemon steadily sauntered his way over to the human who was now scrambling to maintain distance between them. "And now you're trying to run away from me? Tsk, I thought you were better than that, my friend. Why don't you stay a while?" He asked with an almost innocent tone to his voice that didn't match his actions as the scythe was swung down and embedded into Carson's foot, doubling the pain while leaving him incapable of moving away any further. His backward momentum would've sent him sprawling to the ground, were it not for the hand that shot out to hold him in place. "Heh, falling for me already?"

It took everything he had to pull his attention away from the fire burning at both his wrist and his foot to focus on the skeleton that was now right in front of him despite his best efforts. "P-Please, mercy..." He croaked out, tears pouring from his eyes due to both the fear and pain. "I-I didn't do anything to you, I'm nobody really! Please, I'm begging you, I have a family, a wife and two daughters that are expecting me to come home! They don't even know that I do this, I just wanted to be able to give them the life they deserve with the money this would make me! Spare me please, I'll never speak of this, I'll retire from being a hunter, I swear, just don't punish my family by taking me away!"

"Mercy?" The daemon asked, sounding genuinely confused before he burst out laughing. "You think yourself so innocent in all of this that you deserve mercy? Wow, you really are a fool." The distance between them was closed completely, the skeleton's boney fingers moving to hold his chin in place so he couldn't look away from his hauntingly empty eyes. "You're far from innocent, friend. You're lucky that I'm even capable of mercy, otherwise I'd torture you until I found out where your family lived, before dragging you over there to watch as I slaughtered them all and finally killed you."

"N-No, you can't!"

"Why not?" The cloaked daemon growled as he cut him off, his large wings moving to block part of the moonlight and cast them further into shadows. "It's essentially what you've doomed me to. You called us in, you reported our location. Now I'll have to watch as your comrades relentlessly hunt down me and my brothers, I'll have to do everything in my power to keep them safe, and even then it still might not be enough. They don't know everything I do to keep them safe, just like your family doesn't know of your work as a hunter, and I think we both prefer it that way. You and I are much alike, both working in the shadows and keeping secrets from those we care most about in order to provide them with the life we know they deserve. So you'll understand when I say that out of respect for your reasons I'll spare your family, but your life is forfeit. You'd do the same if the roles were reversed."

The daemon seemed to remember something as the hand not currently holding Carson in place dove into his cloak, fishing around for a minute before pulling out a phone. Checking it elicited a frown as the hunter was suddenly released, causing him to collapse flat onto his back in a very awkward position due to his foot still being pinned. He had to bite back the gasp of pain as his wrist collided with the ground, blood splattering against the grass where it connected. He was pretty sure even more damage was done to his foot as well judging from the increase in the pain radiating from it.

When he finally managed to prop himself onto his elbows to look at the cloaked skeleton, he could see him texting on his phone, not caring about him in the slightest. The winged daemon even seemed happy, a small smile playing on his face that was far less unsettling, almost normal, compared to the ones given to the hunter. Clearly it must've been good news, perhaps from the B class daemon that had been with him. They'd seemed pretty friendly from what he'd seen of them, maybe he was even one of the brothers that he'd mentioned.

He'd managed to push himself to a sitting position while his attacker was distracted, trying to remove the scythe in the short time frame he had before either the skeleton noticed or he passed out from blood loss. From how much of the crimson liquid had stained his armour so far, he knew he didn't have much time to get out and get help, less than ten minutes for sure, probably closer to five.

The second he touched the scythe though, a pair of soulless eyes bored into him, the daemon stalking over and kicking him down with his clawed feet. He flexed them, driving the talons slowly into his armour despite the material's strength while finally pulling the scythe out of his foot. Were it not for the cold fury burning in his empty sockets, Carson would've felt some relief being able to finally fix the extremely uncomfortable and painful angle his foot had been stuck in. But the anger on his features was clear as day, making him hold his leg in place as if he were scared to move it. Scoffing at the human's cowardice, the monster pulled his foot off and turned to walk away. The hunter remained somewhat optimistic that perhaps whatever had been on his phone made him willing to spare the clearly weaker of the two. That hope was completely diminished though as the scythe was gracefully spun around in the hand holding it before being driven down through Carson's stomach.

The taste of blood instantly filled his mouth as pain completely overwhelmed him and left him gasping for air. That taste soon grew to be actual blood bubbling out of his mouth as his teary eyes turned to face his assailant with a pleading gaze. The stare that greeted him back though was as cold as the grave. "Stay. I need to make a quick phone call. I'd recommend not moving too much, your intestines have been ripped to shreds and the only thing keeping you from going into septic shock is my scythe. Squirm too much, and all those precious bodily fluids will start leaking out and there'll be nothing to stop all those innards from coming out. I'm not done with you yet though, so try not to die. Perhaps something more constructive, liking making peace with your fate and saying your goodbyes, is a better use of your time." With that the skeleton stalked off, far enough that Carson couldn't see him but still close enough that he could hear half of the conversation going on.

"Night, we have a major problem, we've been made." ... "Look, it was unavoidable, it was either get seen or let Killer's soulmate die right in front of him. You know what that would do to him, I hate to say it, but I chose the lesser of two evils." ... "Tried to commit suicide and jump off of a bridge. He's fine now, and for the record Killer's gonna be staying with him for the time being, so he's not coming home for the next while." ... "Your brother apparently." !!! "Hey, I didn't pick up on any major warning signs when we saw him either! Don't get pissy at me for the actions of someone I don't even really know! Look, I have to hurry this up, I've got our nosy little wannabe hunter slowly bleeding to death, and I'm not done playing with my toy yet. I'll head home after I'm done and give you more details." ... "Yeah, bye."

Carson had barely paid attention to the words spoken, finding his mind to be almost numb to what was going on around him. Everything except for his injuries felt cold, whether from blood loss or shock he didn't know and didn't really care despite the fact that both were alarming. He'd given up trying to move his head, letting it loll to one side as a thin trickle of blood drained from the corner of his mouth. Nothing else really moved save for the extremely laboured expansion and contraction of his chest from his weak and shallow breaths. The few thoughts he still had were completely of his family, his beautiful and loving wife that had supported him since they first met almost two decades ago, and his two precious daughters that had been the brightest lights in his life since they were born.

_Love, girls, I'm so sorry. Looks like Daddy won't be coming home tonight. I never wanted to leave you alone like this, I swear. I wish I could go back, to listen to you honey when you told me it was a bad idea to go out tonight. I should've told you what I was doing, and then listened to you when you inevitably tried to talk me out of it. What will they tell you about how I died? Will they even tell you? Or will I forever be missing to you? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, no amount of money was ever worth risking leaving you all alone, leaving you to take care of our little girls alone. Nothing was worth them not growing up without their father, I wish I could've seen that now. God, I'm such an idiot! Please God, have mercy on my family, don't let them suffer because of my stupidity! Honey, girls, I love you all so much, I wish I could undo my greatest mistake, and I'm so sorry. Don't forget me._

"Oh, you're not looking too good there friend," the daemon said as he came back over, noting the hunter's pale complexion and glazed eyes that barely shifted to meet the winged one's gaze. "Guess impaling you wasn't my brightest idea, should've left it in the foot I guess." He sighed, scratching the back of his head before his hands loosely wrapped around the shaft of the scythe. "Have you made your peace yet? If so, I'll make it quick. Consider it a reward for being such an entertaining plaything." Having already resigned himself to his fate, death was almost a welcome mercy that would spare him any more of the agony he was in. He offered a single, very slow nod of his head to say that he was ready, closing his eyes as he waited for the inevitable.

"Very well," the daemon stated, ripping the scythe out of its current spot. The reaction was instant, Carson's eyes flying open as he began to feel his intestines shift and leak out of the gaping hole in his stomach, blood and bile pouring out even faster than before. His tear stained face turned to the daemon, silently begging for the mercy he was promised. It came in the form of a raised scythe, fresh blood and bits of gore dripping from its tip as the winged skeleton lifted it into the air. With one swift cut, the blade bit into the soft flesh of the hunter's neck, cutting through the spine like a hot knife through butter. The cut was so quick and clean that Carson's severed head barely even moved from the motion, his now truly lifeless eyes staring vacantly up at his killer while his mouth hung agape and blood gushed from his neck and splattered against his cheeks.

They say that the brain continues to function for at least thirty seconds after death. If that were the case, then Carson's mind would've seen his killer step away, flicking his wrist to clear away the excess blood and flesh stuck to his blade before spreading his wings. The daemon paid him one final glance before ascending into the sky, disappearing into the darkness of the night as the magic surrounding the area faded with his presence.

_...Connection re-established._

_Welcome back Hunter Frost, ID# 38193._

_..._

_No vitals detected, scanning for signs of life... no signs of life detected._

_Hunter ID# 38193, Carson Frost, DECEASED._

_Preparing bereavement package to send to listed family, preparing team to recover body._

_Cause of death: Unknown._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really proud of that creepy little poem :)  
> Invocations are gonna be a fun way to exercise my poetry skills.


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out! But here's the end of Dream's little arc where we finally get to see this little bean on the road to recovery and getting the support he truly deserves!

Dream let out a groan as he slowly came to, blinking at the bright white that surrounded his vision. _White... heaven? Heh, didn't think someone like me would ever end up in a place like that._ But the possibility of his location being some sort of afterlife quickly vanished as his vision focused to reveal a room... Cross' room. He'd been in here before, often with some of his friends and usually either Cross or Geno. But nobody was here, only an empty room with him in his crush's bed.

But... how was he here? Dream didn't get it, he should be dead, not continuing to be a burden for those he cared about. Part of him wanted to be flustered about how he was literally in the bed of the person he'd been crushing on for over a year, though most of his thoughts were too jumbled and confused as they tried to figure out what was happening. Maybe this was his afterlife? It seemed hard to believe, but then again so did the fact that he was alive and breathing when he clearly remembered hitting the water.

Though, there was the sight that met him mere seconds before the impact had knocked him out. Another skeleton, one he'd never seen before, falling just above him and reaching out as if to stop him from plunging into the river. He hadn't seen them beforehand, meaning that for some reason they'd jumped in after him. And they looked so dashing, like some sort of hero... no, focus! Why were they there? Why did they jump in after him? Were they okay? What the hell happened?!

"You're awake." A familiar voice startled him out of his own thoughts, bringing the golden skeleton's gaze up to the door to see Cross. The monochrome skeleton looked like he hadn't slept all night, dark bags under his sockets as he leaned against the door frame. Dream couldn't even begin to guess what the taller was feeling, as his tone and expression gave absolutely nothing away.

All he could give for an answer was a quick nod, as he still had no idea what was going. Seeing this, Cross' expressionless mask seemed to crack a bit as he sighed, crossing the room in a few strides. That mask broke completely as the monochrome skeleton threw he arms around the smaller and let out a shuddering sob. "Thank god, I was afraid you wouldn't wake up," he whispered, tightening his hold as if Dream might disappear if he let go.

"I... Why would you care about me?" Dream squeaked out, not returning the gesture out of confusion mixed with heartbreak. He should be happy right? Cross cared about him, otherwise he wouldn't be so emotional. Then why did it hurt so much right now?

The taller skeleton pulled back at his question, his relief switching to concern as he moved to cup Dream's face instead. "You... seriously thought that I wouldn't care about you? Dream, if this is about how I reacted to your confession, I'm so sorry. I was stressed because of Geno and the whole mess, and I took it out on you in a way I shouldn't have. I didn't know your feelings were really like that, I thought that your confession was somehow tied to the chaos going on or what had Geno so worried about you. But I didn't know how bad things were with you, and I handled it so horribly. I'm so, so sorry, I just can't believe that what I said to you was enough to push you to consider suicide."

Consider? So that meant he really wasn't dead. He'd somehow survived his jump off the bridge, and had ended up in Cross and Geno's apartment. "W-Why am I still alive?" Dream whispered, finding it hard to accept that his efforts to free the others of the burden of dealing with him failed so miserably. "Seems I can't even die right."

A crack sounded through the otherwise quiet room, the golden skeleton taking a moment to register the pain in his cheek from where he'd been slapped. "Don't talk like that!" Cross snapped, looking like he was about to cry despite the furious snarl. His hands latched onto Dream's jacket, holding it tightly to prevent him from moving away. "Don't talk like your life has no meaning, or like you're better off at the bottom of that fucking river! Do you have any idea how worried about you everyone is, how worried I am?! I couldn't even fucking sleep last night after getting you back here, not until I knew you'd wake up! Hell, Geno was literally sick with worry over you last night, your selfish decision nearly landed him back in the hospital! He still hasn't woken up either for the record!" A few stray tears rolled down the taller's cheeks as his grip on the other's clothes tightened, Cross looking like he was barely holding back from hitting him again.

Selfish? No, no he wasn't being selfish, he was trying to help everyone! And yet he somehow made it all worse again. He could already hear the beginning of the voices coming back, clawing at the edges of his psyche and threatening to drown him in noise just like the night before. "I... I made Geno sick? I-Is he okay?" Of course he wasn't, his friend was bedridden and had yet to wake up from whatever happened to him last night! No matter what he did, he only caused more pain for those he cared about. That realization only served to send a couple tears rolling down his face, a small whimper coming out of his throat as a feeling of uselessness consumed him.

Cross looked over at the sound he made, his anger quickly fading and being replaced with panic. "Shit! Sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset, I..." The monochrome skeleton let out a sigh and rubbed his hand down his face before sitting next to Dream on the bed and throwing an arm around him. "I'm sorry, I'm not the best at this kind of stuff. Geno's always been better at dealing with emotions than me, though after the way I handled your confession I guess that's pretty obvious. I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling right now, or how to make sense of everything I am feeling. I'm angry and upset, I'm relieved and happy, but most of all I'm worried about you. I listened to the voice message you left on your phone, and let me tell you that was painful. You seriously thought that we'd be better off without you?"

The smaller let out a sniff before nodding his head, not even trying to hide behind a lie or false smile as it clearly wouldn't work right now. His suicide attempt and that message had laid everything bare, there'd be no chance of him hiding anymore. Cross let out another sigh, tightening his hold and pulling the golden skeleton a bit closer. "Now I see why Geno's been so worried about you recently, he's been trying to figure it out for a while now. Guess if you could hide it from him, it's no wonder why none of the rest of us ever recognized what you were going through. Dream, I don't know what it'll take to get it through to you, but we all care about you, we love you. I know Lust and I snapped at you last night, and we both feel horrible about it for not trying to see things through your eyes. Blue wouldn't stop crying when I told him what happened, and Ink managed to catch wind of it and has been beside himself with worry. Last I heard Sci stayed the night with them at Blue's place to try and help them, but _everyone_ was scared you wouldn't wake up. Please, I don't know what any of us would do if we lost you, I don't even want to think about it. Pretty sure the only one out of all of us that got some sleep was Geno, and that certainly wasn't by his choice. Don't you see? No matter what might happen, no matter how many times you forget things or if someone gets mad at you, it would always be so much worse if you just suddenly weren't there anymore."

There was no doubt in Dream's mind how true those words were, how heartfelt they were. That tone of voice, the gentle touch of Cross holding him close, it made his friend's feelings crystal clear to him, even more than the words did. It was more than enough to get through to him, to fill him with a sense of love and friendship. He'd almost thrown all this warmth away, and for what? To make them all suffer more? Geno was sick, none of them had slept, and he even dragged that stranger that jumped in after him down as well. What the hell was wrong with him? The tears that had been steadily building burst forth, the golden skeleton unable to contain them any longer as all the grief, regret, everything washed over him. He threw his arms around Cross in earnest, burying his head in the taller's shoulder while his entire body shook from the emotional sobs he let out.

While the monochrome skeleton seemed a little taken aback by the sudden emotional shift, he hugged back regardless. The pair shifted on the bed to make their embrace easier, Cross rubbing small circles into the crying skeleton's back as a few of his own tears leaked out. In between his gasps for air and his heart wrenching cries, Dream continuously blubbered out apologies as he clung to his friend. "It's okay Dream," Cross soothed, his voice low and quiet by comparison. "It'll all be okay, I promise. We'll get you the help you need, and we'll all work together to make sure you never consider something like that ever again. And I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we're sorry we didn't help you in the first place."

It took Dream nearly half an hour to calm down, though he was still a sniffling mess when he finally pulled away. For once he couldn't find it in himself to force a smile, even though he now felt lighter than he had in over a year. Maybe it was because he no longer _had_ to force a smile, he no longer had to force himself to be happy for his friends. He could finally destroy the mask he'd hid behind all this time.

Looking up with eyes still glassy from tears, he met Cross' worried but caring gaze. While the lack of Dream's own smile seemed to pull at Cross' features a bit, highlighting just how worried he was of losing the golden skeleton, the taller still managed a small smile of his own, keeping one hand on the golden skeleton's back for support and comfort. "Look, I know what I said last night was stupidly harsh, and I hate the fact that I pushed you to even consider taking your life, I honestly hate myself for that. But while I can't return your feelings, and feel guilty for leading you on for so long, I do still want you to be my friend. I completely understand if you don't want that..."

Cross' words were cut off as Dream once again held him close, this time returning the comfort and preventing him from finishing that sentence. "Don't... just don't. It... will probably take me some time to get over you, I mean to be completely honest you were my first crush, but you were my friend before I ever had any of those feelings for you. My life just wouldn't be the same, it wouldn't be right without you and everyone else. I'm sorry that I made you feel like you have to hate yourself, but know that my choice wasn't your fault." If he was going to abandon that fake smile forever now, then he might as well let everything out into the air as much as he could. They'd help him, make sure he healed right and would never consider suicide again. He didn't want to die, not when he'd lose the chance to make everything right with his friends, to hang out with them and genuinely laugh and smile. They were the only ones that seemed capable of keeping his darkest thoughts away, he didn't want to lose his beacons of light and be forever lost in darkness.

There were certain things he couldn't tell them yet, but if he was at least more open with the truth, then maybe things wouldn't get this bad again. "I don't want you to blame yourself, not when this problem goes back long before I met you. This... it all started with my parents, they're honestly the ones to blame for this." As he felt the taller tense beside him and saw him open his mouth, the golden skeleton was quick to interject. "You don't need to go hunting for them, they're already dead! They... were murdered about eight years ago, though I guess their damage didn't disappear with them. They were abusive to me and my brother, treating us like we were worthless or mistakes. They were the ones that drove my brother to run away after they died, as he couldn't bear to be anywhere near them or any reminders of them... including me. That loneliness, it ate away at me, made me think I was to blame for my family being gone. I still blame myself for my parents' death, and I guess that only added to how messed up I got.

"Things got better when I met Ink and Blue though, and with them I slowly met Lust, Sci, and then you and Geno. You all helped more than I realized to keep that darkness away, but something must've changed that let it get the better of me. And once it did, I guess it started twisting everything around, making me think that I was hurting you all and that my constant mistakes were making you all start to hate me... that you'd honestly be better off without me." Dream hadn't realized he'd started crying again until a stray drop landed on his gloved hand. He went silent as he rubbed at his eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears.

Cross had been silent the entire time Dream was talking, not interrupting him once beyond his initial attempt to do so. Now he seemed to be struggling to find the words to respond with, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he gave up with a sigh and instead puller the smaller close again. "Your parents were wrong," he said after a moment of silence. "You're not a mistake, far from it, and you're definitely not worthless. You're a selfless, kind hearted person that didn't deserve whatever the hell your bastard parents did to you. And trust me, if they weren't dead already I'd certainly fix that if you say that they're the ones to blame for the pain you're in now. People like them should be burning in hell," he growled, tightening his grip slightly in a protective manner. "I swear, the worst things always happen to the best people. Sorry, I'm probably not as much help as Geno would be, like I said I'm not good at this shit."

The golden skeleton shook his head at the other's declaration, sending him a genuine yet small smile. "You're better at it than you think. It's... helped a lot actually, helped drive home how messed up and wrong my thoughts are."

"Still don't like the way that sounds," Cross complained, gently rubbing the top of Dream's skull. "I don't like hearing you beat yourself up like that, it's still way too negative for my liking."

The smaller leaned into the gentle affection, feeling a slight pang of heartbreak knowing that he'd never be comforted by Cross as his lover but pushing it aside. "Well... I'll try to change it." A comfortable silence followed his words, the two friends staying close to offer each other comfort despite how both were physically and emotionally exhausted. It gave Dream a chance to think, inevitably replaying the events of last night that almost cost him his life. "Hey Cross?" A small hum answered him, said skeleton turning his gaze towards him to show that he was listening. "How am I still alive?" Looking back, he'd unintentionally gone to Suicide Street... or maybe his subconscious had already decided he wanted to die and led him there. Regardless, that place was notorious for how effective it was for letting people kill themselves, making Dream wonder how he'd survived when he definitely did jump and did hit the water.

Once again the monochrome skeleton stiffened, showing a clear discomfort when it came to the question asked. "I... I honestly don't know," he responded, his tone making it clear he really didn't know. "By the time Geno figured out where you'd likely gone, it was too late to stop you from jumping, not unless you'd spent over half an hour considering it. When I was heading there regardless, I called your phone one more time to hopefully get an answer, only for some stranger to pick up and direct me to where you were. By the time I got there, you were unconscious on the river shore, your soaked clothes making it clear you did in fact jump. But you were breathing and didn't seem to have any major injuries, other than the fact that your magic levels were insanely low. You jumped, you hit the water, and somehow you survived. The stranger never told me what he did, if he even did anything, so I really don't know. Sorry, wish I could be more help."

So that stranger really did save his life. Whoever he was, he somehow survived the fall and managed to save him. "Did... you get his name? Or any way to get a hold of him?"

"Yeah actually, his name's Killer. Seems like a nice guy despite the name, but then again I barely know him. And if you wanna talk to him, he slept on my couch last night, refused to leave until he was sure you were okay."

The stranger had stayed over to make sure he was okay? He didn't know why, but the thought got his soul beating just a bit faster, the golden skeleton having to struggle to keep colour from flooding his cheeks from the gesture. "Well... I guess I should let him know I'm okay." But saying that aloud, it reminded him that there was someone that he needed to make sure was okay for himself first. "Um... would I be able to check on Geno first?"

While Cross did seem hesitant at first, almost seeming to be arguing with himself over the right course of action, he eventually did agree. "Alright, I should wake him up for something to eat and to check on him anyways." He pulled the smaller to his feet, having to immediately catch him as Dream's legs buckled almost as soon as there was pressure placed on them. "You sure you're okay though? Maybe you should get a bit more rest; that fall probably did more damage than I noticed."

Dream glared down at his shaky legs, not liking the general feeling of weakness that seemed to be rooted in his bones at the moment. "Well you did say my magic levels were really low, that's probably what's causing my legs to be so shaky. I should be fine if I don't move around too much, and I promise to get some rest later, but I really need to see that Geno's okay." Despite how physically weak he felt, his desire to check on his sick friend burned brightly in his eyes, too bright for Cross to refuse.

"Alright, if you say so, but I'm not letting you walk around today," the monochrome skeleton relented, sweeping Dream off his feet literally and into his arms. The smaller let out a squeak and felt his cheeks grow warm as he grabbed hold of Cross' shoulders to stabilize himself. Once he was secure, Dream was carried out of Cross' room and down the hall to Geno's. He definitely didn't miss the fact that the door was locked, watching as Cross managed to shift the smaller skeleton to one arm and pull out a set of keys with another. It was likely the result of Killer staying overnight, as Cross was notoriously protective of Geno and definitely wouldn't let a stranger anywhere near him while he was resting and recovering.

As they entered Geno's room, Dream looked to his friend with an almost sick feeling in his nonexistent gut. He'd caused this, even if hurting his friend had never been his intention he'd still done it. Were it not for the breathing mask, the remnants of blood, or how heavy he was breathing, the scarfed skeleton would've seen like he was simply peacefully asleep. But Dream knew better, whimpering quietly at the look of pain on his friend's face.

From the way the arms holding him tensed, he could tell that Cross was worried, though whether it was for Geno, himself, or both of them he couldn't tell. "Are you sure you wanna talk to him right now? You could both get some more rest and talk later you know." While his voice was quiet to avoid disturbing his sleeping brother, it was heavy with concern for what Dream now suspected to be both of them.

"I'll be fine Cross, please." If Geno was like this out of worry for the golden skeleton, then he figured that talking with him would help alleviate the stress that was definitely not good for him.

Sighing but giving a nod, the taller moved his weaker friend into the bedside chair before moving to gently shake his brother awake. "Geno, I know you're sleeping, but there's someone here to speak with you," he whispered, not wanting to jolt him awake for fear of making things worse.

A groggy groan reached them as the scarfed skeleton's eye squeezed shut even tighter, trying to stay asleep despite the efforts to rouse him. When those efforts didn't stop, Geno's eye eventually relaxed before fluttering open. It took a few blinks before his vision seemed to focus, his gaze drifting from the ceiling to his brother smiling beside him. "Hey Gen, sorry for waking you up, but you have a guest." He gestured over to Dream sitting at the opposite side of the bed.

The golden skeleton waited patiently for Geno's tired gaze to shift from one side to the other, smiling at him just as widely as Cross had when their gaze finally met. The bedridden skeleton seemed to get a sudden burst of energy upon seeing his friend, his eye now wide open as he shifted in bed. "Dream!" He called out excitedly, his voice muffled a little bit by the breathing mask strapped to it. His efforts to get closer though resulted in a seemingly painful coughing fit, Cross immediately flying into action as he pulled Geno back down into bed and adjusted the pillows so that he was somewhat sitting up.

"Easy there Gen, you had a bad episode last night, remember? We both know you won't be back to full strength for a couple days. Just relax and take it easy, okay? I don't wanna be carrying you to an ambulance again." While he let out a small whine from being put back in bed, Geno did nod his head at his brother's words and settled down into his bed, allowing Cross to adjust the covers and pull them up to snugly cover his chest. "Okay, I'll leave you two to talk for a bit, but when I come back with food you two are eating and going straight back to bed. You both need your rest."

As Cross left the pair be for the time being to make some food for all of them, Geno turned his attention to his friend, this time making no attempt to crawl out of bed. "You're okay, I was so worried that you'd do something..." His voice trailed off as Dream averted his gaze, ashamed of his actions last night and the far reaching consequences they'd had that he never would've even considered. "You... you did jump, didn't you?"

The pain and heartbreak in his friend's voice was far too much for him to handle, making him flinch and turn his gaze back. "Y-Yeah... I did," Dream confirmed, already feeling tears building at the corners of his sockets.

He caught sight of Geno's frown before he turned away once again, hating how painful this was and how afraid he was that this was a bad mistake; that he might only upset both of them by admitting the truth and in turn cause Geno even more pain and suffering, possibly landing him in the hospital. "But you're okay though, right?" The words that answered his guilty admission held no malice or anger, not accusatory in the slightest. Turning back once more he saw the scarfed skeleton calmly smiling at him, a hand outstretched in case he needed to take it. "Just tell me that you're okay and have no intentions of ever doing something like that again, please. That's all I need."

Dream latched onto Geno's outstretched hand, tears once again pouring from his eyes at the gentle words. What did he ever do to deserve such caring and helpful friends? "I-I p-promise, n-never again," he blubbered out, tightening his grip on the other's hand as if to accentuate that. "A-And I'm okay... I think, a little weak right now but some rest should fix that."

The scarfed skeleton nodded, seeming to understand his explanation and accept his promise. "I hope you know that all of us are gonna hold you to that. Don't think any of us want that scare again." They both giggled a bit, trying to enjoy the lighthearted threat, though Geno did have to stop early as his giggles triggered a coughing fit. "Well, I'm assuming Cross already gave you some sort of speech about how everything would get better and how we'd all help you?" He asked the golden skeleton once he recovered, receiving a nod in exchange. "Okay good, and he didn't mess up like he did last night, did he?" His friend seemed to relax a bit once Dream shook his head no. "Okay good, because if he'd screwed up again as royally as he did last night, then he would've been getting his ass kicked regardless of whether I'm stuck in bed for the next while."

Suddenly Geno's expression turned far more serious, mirroring the one from last night when he confronted the other and catching Dream off guard once again. "Well then, he's given the speech, and now we need to figure out how to back it up and make sure this doesn't happen again. So I need you to tell me the truth. What issues led to your current mental state, what are the typical symptoms of your depression, and are there any warning signs that you know of for more suicidal thought patterns?"

Those questions made the golden skeleton blink a couple times before shrinking away. "D-Do you really need to know? I-I mean I already made you sick, I d-don't wanna be responsible for your health getting worse."

"Dream I'll be fi-"

"You can't say that! You don't know! Look at how you were after helping Sci or Lust! You were in the hospital for over a week because you pushed yourself too hard! I don't want to be the cause of you getting even sicker because you tried to help me, it's the reason why I've stayed so quiet about it!" Dream snapped back at him, tears pricking the corners of his sockets as his chest heaved slightly. He wouldn't hurt Geno in order to maybe be able to get better, it wasn't worth it.

His outburst left his friend wide-eyed, staring at him as he slowly began to cry. "Oh Dream, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Feeling guilty for his outburst potentially upsetting Geno, Dream turned away and looked at a random spot on the floor while he tried to get his tears under control. That gave his friend plenty of time to apparently come up with a solution. "Okay, how about this? Since you promised me that you wouldn't ever consider suicide again, I'll promise you that I won't make myself sick trying to help you like I ended up doing with Lust and Sci. Does that sound fair?"

Wiping at his tears, Dream had to admit that the deal sounded pretty fair, and since he honestly didn't trust either of them to keep their promises on their own, maybe the two of them could keep each other in check. So he hesitantly agreed with another nod. "I guess if you promise you won't get sick... I really don't want to hurt any of you because of my problems, but I also don't want to be a burden..." He trailed off, still lacking the confidence in this course of action to be willing to spill on what he'd kept bottled up inside him for so long.

Geno sighed, looking to his conflicted friend with a warm smile. "If you were going to be a burden, I wouldn't have asked. I'll spare you any grand speeches since you probably got enough of them for the day from Cross, but I really do want to help, I want to see you smile genuinely, no more hiding behind a fake smile."

All it took was one look to his friend and that smile of his to relent with a sigh. "Honestly, I don't know how you're so good at this, all you need to do is flash that smile and I'm pretty sure any of us would give you whatever it is you're asking for."

"The perks of being crippled?" Geno joked, the statement catching Dream by surprise so much that he practically choked on his laughter, resulting in a strange snort. The both of them burst out laughing as his cheeks burned gold from the embarrassing sound. "Besides, since Cross is complete ass at talking to people, one of us has to at least be decent." That only made Dream laugh harder, clutching his sides and rolling into a ball, silently laughing at the jab at Geno's brother.

When the laughter died down once again and Dream had caught his breath enough to uncurl himself from his little ball and sit up straight again, he turned his attention to the questions Geno asked him earlier. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, only to look down and see that his friend had once again offered him a hand to hold for comfort. Gratefully taking it, Dream gave the scarfed skeleton a quick squeeze and a shaky smile before getting into it. He told him the exact same story he'd told Cross earlier that morning about where his mental health issues started, finding it a bit easier to tell the second time and less upsetting.

The other two questions were harder, as he'd never even considered his condition to be depression. He even said as much to Geno, who didn't seem surprised. "Depression is a complex mental health issue because it affects everyone that suffers it differently. There are a few common symptoms though that I noticed in you, namely your memory problems. Judging from the fact that this has been going on for longer than we've known you, your typical forgetful nature could actually be a symptom of your recurring depression."

"Wait, really?" The golden skeleton asked, pleasantly surprised by that one. "So if you help fix me, I'll stop forgetting to head out the door with pants on?"

Geno giggled a bit before shaking his head. "I honestly don't know. You might be forgetful by nature and the depression is just exacerbating that fact, or it could be completely unrelated. But I feel like there's a pretty good chance in us reducing how forgetful you are now that we know what the problem is. So yeah, you might stop wandering outside in your underwear, though I'd still expect you to forget your assignments occasionally." Well, it was definitely better than nothing, and helped encourage him to keep going.

"Well, you wanted to know what symptoms I experience that I know of. Now, don't freak out about this, but I... hear voices, in my head. Each of them is different, and seems to have a preferred way of insulting me or my decisions and actions. There's only one though that I'm really scared of... I only started hearing it yesterday, but... it was the voice that told me to kill myself. It sounded so sweet and inviting, but at the same time almost poisonous. The first two times it told me to kill myself or die, I was scared but didn't want to listen to it. I even considered telling you at that point, but I was afraid that you'd immediately drop everything to help me and end up collapsing when you just got back out of the hospital. But I guess when I heard it last night, I was already at such a low point from the other voices screaming at me, and the new voice made them all stop. It made me feel like jumping was the only way to finally be free of the voices and the pain that I'd caused everyone."

He hadn't realised that he'd spent pretty much that entire explanation staring at his hand that was holding Geno's, only now looking up to meet his friend's worried gaze. Pressing his lips together to keep from crying or screaming or any of the number of things he could feel his body wanting to do, he forced himself to look his friend in the eye and wait to hear his response. "I... never would've guessed Dream. I'm sorry, I wish I figured it out sooner and could've helped-"

"Geno no, you promised me you wouldn't worry yourself into a hospital bed. I did absolutely everything I could do to keep the truth from you anyways, so it's not your fault. But... you know now, so please, help me make them go away." He could already feel them crawling back to the front of his mind, wanting his friend to keep them from overtaking him again.

_Coward! You couldn't deal with it on your own so you dragged one of your best friends into your problems, some friend you are!_

_You really think you can make us go away? We're a part of you Dream, you'll never be rid of us!_

The golden skeleton squeezed his sockets shut as they started attacking him again, struggling to block them out before _that_ voice could come back. It only ever seemed to show up when the others were already there, and he didn't want that to happen.

"Dream? Are you okay?" He shook his head no to his friend's worried question. No, he was definitely not okay. "Is it the voices?" He nodded yes, a whimper escaping him as the mocking laughter in his skull grew in volume. "What are they saying?"

"They're calling me weak and pathetic for asking for help. They say that they're a part of me and they'll never go away. They're laughing at me."

"Look at me Dream," Geno commanded, using the tone of voice that made him impossible to ignore. The golden skeleton reluctantly opened his teary eyes, staring at his friend and the stern glare he had. "I need you to ignore them, focus on me instead." He went to complain, but was cut off before he could say a word. "I know it's hard, but I need you to try, okay? Those voices are preying on your insecurities and your fears, so fixing that is how we make them go away. And I promise you, we'll make sure they go away. You're not pathetic or weak or whatever they're calling you. If anything you're strong Dream. It takes courage to admit that you can't handle something on your own, it takes strength to ask a friend for help. And that's what friends are for, we're there to laugh with you during your highs, and help pull you out of your lows. You're strong Dream, stronger than most. I just can't wait for the day when you can see it for yourself."

 _I'm... strong?_ Dream thought to himself, finding it hard to believe after so many years of his own mind telling him otherwise. And yet, despite how little he believed in those two words, the thought seemed to almost push back at the voices. They were complaining, calling him an idiot for even trying to believe something that 'clearly wasn't true'. But at the same time they were quieter, as if they were scared of those words. _I'm strong,_ he thought to himself once again, this time with more conviction, only to smile a bit as the voices almost seemed to retreat deeper into his mind. _I trust Geno, he's never steered me wrong before, and only wants what's best for me. So if he thinks that I'm strong, then I must be._ The screams coming from the voices, their taunts and insults that contradicted his friend's words, all seem to fade to become little more than white noise at the edges of his conscious mind. It... made him actually feel strong for the first time in as long as he could remember.

"I take it from that smile that some of what I said got through to you?" The scarfed skeleton's voice snapped him out of his own thoughts and served to pull Dream back to reality, his smile only growing from there as he nodded his head. Geno returned the smile with one of his own, looking a little more at ease. "I'm glad to hear it. And I promise that the more we work on it, the better it'll get. Hopefully moving forward you'll never have to hear Shattered again."

Dream shot him a strange look, clearly not knowing what his friend was talking about. "What do you mean by Shattered?"

"Ah, that's the nickname I gave to that voice you said you were afraid of, short for Shattered Dream. I figured that it kind of made sense, as that voice essentially represents the part of your psyche that's given up hope, the part of you that's been essentially shattered from everything you've had to go through. I can change it though if you want."

"No, no I think it makes sense," Dream assured, finding it actually really fitting and poetic in a way. That voice was the culmination of all of his negative and self-hating thoughts that had led him to that bridge, the thoughts that had almost shattered him physically.

Geno nodded and smiled at him, squeezing his hand back that the other was still holding. "Alright, so here's what I'm thinking. For now we'll keep the voices between us, as I understand that it's a really personal thing for you. I won't force you to tell the others, you can tell them when you feel comfortable or not tell them at all, but I won't ever say a word to anyone about it. And if you start having any issues with them and you need my help, just say that Shattered's friends want to visit you. That way we can keep this our little secret for as long as you want. And if you _ever_ hear Shattered's voice, then I don't care where, when, what, I want to know. If you can't tell me, then tell _someone_ you need help, but don't ever try to ignore that voice, or you might find yourself at risk of breaking your promise to me. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Yeah, that sounds good to me," the golden skeleton confirmed, already feeling a little more confident about tackling his problems now that he knew he had Geno's support and everyone else's too. He figured that their little warning system they just devised would be in addition to therapy and support, and he was willing to go to it. He never wanted to find himself at the bottom of that dark pit ever again.

The pair of skeletons talked a bit more, the conversation steering away from last night for the most part and towards happier things. It was pleasant and relaxing, and thankfully Cross chose that time to come back in the room with two plates with bacon and scrambled eggs... and some piece of paper tucked under each plate.

Both Geno and Dream shared a look with each other before taking their plates and the pieces of paper. Turning it over, Dream let out a gasp as he realized it was the ticket to Lust's performance that was tomorrow evening. And looking over, there was Geno holding his ticket. It was a little bent at the one end, but was otherwise intact. "When you ran off last night, I grabbed your bag that you left behind. Hope you don't mind, but since I couldn't sleep last night I went through your bag looking for the ticket. Turns out both tickets ended up slipping into a little pouch near the bottom. They both got a little bent from being squished at the bottom, but they... Dream are you okay?" Cross cut himself off to look worriedly to their now crying friend, who was hugging the piece of paper to his chest and slowly sobbing.

It took him a moment to compose himself enough to not be constantly hiccupping and sniffling while trying to speak, uncurling from around the ticket to look to the two worried brothers. "Y-Yeah, I'm f-fine. I just t-thought that I'd screwed up last n-night and there was n-no w-way to fix it. I-I can't believe you found them, thank you s-so much."

The monochrome skeleton let out a sigh before smiling, coming over to gently rub the top of the smaller's head. "No problem buddy, glad I could do something to help. Now, you promised me that you'd eat when I came back and then go back to bed. After all you're both going to need your strength for tomorrow night. Oh, and when you're finished Dream, that Killer guy really wants to talk with you if you're okay with that. Dude honestly looked like a lost puppy when I told him you were eating then going back to bed."

Dream had almost forgotten about Killer, the person who saved him last night. So Cross got a fervent nod from one skeleton and a look of confusion from the other. "I'll explain later," the taller told his brother, who seemed to accept that and started eating. The golden skeleton followed suit, wanting to finish quickly so that he could meet the skeleton that so bravely jumped in after him. He even needed a couple comments from Cross to slow down so that he wouldn't choke, practically inhaling the food at some points to be done faster.

Geno was already starting to fade by the time they both finished eating, Cross fussing over him as always as he helped him with his meds and got him back into bed. The scarfed skeleton waved and gave Dream a sleepy goodbye as the golden skeleton was once again picked up and carried out of the room. He had a slight frown though as he was brought back into Cross' bedroom and set on the bed. "Are you sure it's okay for me to keep using your bed? You look really tired, and I don't want to be a burden."

The monochrome skeleton looked to him for a moment before quickly hugging him. "You're not a burden and you never will be, so please don't think that you are. Besides, I fully intend to kick Killer off my couch right away. He got sleep last night, so it's my turn now." The two laughed a little bit as the taller skeleton pulled away, pulling the covers up around Dream's waist but not forcing him to lay down. "I'll go let him know you want to talk now, and steal the couch back in the process."

As Cross left, it wasn't long before another skeleton showed up at the door to take his place. This one was quite different though, with black tear-like streaks running down his face from his voided sockets and a black leather jacket paired with dark jeans that gave him a much more 'bad boy' vibe than Cross had. It made the sweet smile on his face seem almost out of place, and yet more genuine at the same time. "Hey, I'm so glad to see that you're awake now. You had me pretty worried there for a while," he said as he came inside, closing the door behind him to give them some privacy. Not like Cross would come barging in on their discussion, as the poor guy looked tired enough to sleep until next morning. The new skeleton came over and set himself on the bed in front of Dream, never dropping that smile that made him look like the happiest guy in the world. "Oh, guess we never officially met, even though I'm pretty sure we both know each other's names by now. So let's make it official! The name's Killer." He held his hand out excitedly in front of Dream, not seeming embarrassed in the slightest by the dorky introduction.

The whole thing just made Dream giggle a bit as he took the outstretched hand. "Dream, it's a pleasure to finally meet the person who for some reason jumped off of a bridge after me. N-Not that I'm not grateful or anything, it's just, most people wouldn't have risked their own life to save a stranger. Still, thank you for saving me from arguably the biggest mistake of my life."

"Oh no problem! I'll gladly jump off a bridge any day for you!" Killer happily exclaimed, clearly not realizing how bad that sounded until after he said it and Dream recoiled away from the worrisome statement.

"That's... not something I was expecting you to say in the slightest," he muttered, shooting the strange skeleton a worried look, wondering if he was slightly suicidal as well.

"Oh... Oh crap, that probably sounded really weird! And Reaper said you probably didn't know..."

"Know? Know what?"

Killer paused, seemingly struggling to put whatever it was that he wanted to say into words. "Um... how do I explain this without weirding you out?" He hummed and hawed over his answer for a bit before the answer he seemed to want came to him. "Oh yeah! I'm friends with your brother! Does that make things clear?"

"My brother?" In all honesty, that only served to confuse Dream even more as he tried to figure out what the bizarre clue supposedly meant. Killer said he was friends with Nightmare, even though his brother was never one to make friends due to his nature... as a daemon... Nightmare said that he'd found some others out in the world that he was now bound to. Was it possible that Killer was one of them? He couldn't risk blurting the word daemon out without knowing for sure though, so a test was in order, a simple phrase that a bound brother would easily know the answer to. "And so the ties that bind us bite deeper than blood, digging deep to the core," he started, waiting to see if the other skeleton would respond with the other half of the verse.

And without missing a beat, he did just that. "May our souls forever be intertwined and the paths we walk be the same, for you and I are now family forevermore." The taller smiled down at Dream, the golden skeleton watching part of his form start to change. "Never knew how much power could be contained in a few little words before the binding ceremony. Was a bit creepy with all of us saying the words at once, but I can't begin to explain to you how fulfilling it felt... almost as much as meeting you did."

As the black pseudoflesh began to coat his bones, Dream was starting to catch on to what was going on. "You're a daemon," he whispered softly, placing his own hand up so that the fingertips of his hand lined up with the suction cup-like tips of Killer's own fleshy fingers. "Guess that explains how you were fine jumping into the river, but why?" While the daemon's words had hinted at the reason Dream was searching for, it seemed that some part of him wasn't willing to make the jump in logic to fully understand exactly who was before him.

"Like I said, I'd jump off a bridge any day for you... only you." Killer's fingers, intertwined with Dream's own, his voided sockets somehow conveying volumes of emotion despite the fact that they were empty of anything to express those emotions. They were the eyes of someone in love. "Dream... you're my soulmate, the one being in this world that I'm meant to be with."

Soulmate... Dream knew fully what the word meant in this context. He'd grown up watching his father dote on his mother, listened to Nightmare explain what he'd been told about the concept. A soulmate was everything to their daemon partner, more important than their own life. He'd witnessed that firsthand when his parents died, when his father had knowingly put himself in line with a fatal attack in order to try to spare his wife. And Killer was claiming that Dream was his match?

"I... I-I..." He honestly didn't know what to say to that, looking away and rubbing at his arm. He wanted to claim that Killer must be wrong, he must be mistaken since the universe couldn't possibly be so cruel as to give someone as broken as Dream was as a soulmate. "I'm sorry you're stuck with such a broken and useless soulmate," he finally said, voice becoming choked with tears towards the end. He didn't deserve this, someone willing to devote their entire life to him and his needs.

"Broken, maybe. Useless, I don't think so." A set of fleshy fingers cupped his cheeks, turning his gaze back to meet the empty eyes of the skeleton sitting across from him. "You're not useless at all. In fact, from what I've been told, my brothers and I owe the hunters not finding us so far all to you and your crazy strong magic skills. And even if you are a little broken, then I'll help fix you. Almost anything can be fixed if given enough time and effort, which I'd be willing to put in whatever is necessary so that I never have to see you throw yourself off a bridge ever again."

Any efforts towards holding back tears proved to be pointless after those sweet words, Dream's fluttering soul only intensifying the emotions he felt. It wasn't long before he felt the hands cupping his cheeks and gently brushing away the tears shift and pull away, a pair of strong arms wrapping around his shaking body in their place and holding him close. It was a bit strange to him how the hug seemed to feel warmer than any other he'd ever gotten, helping to calm him at a surprisingly fast rate.

The daemon didn't seem to mind holding him like this, rubbing his back as his form reverted back to that of a typical skeleton and continuing to wipe at the few remaining tears that fell. "I guess this is probably a lot more to take in than I originally thought, huh? Sorry about dumping that on you, I just got so excited because I knew that you understood the whole daemon thing since you grew up with Nightmare. I just couldn't keep from spilling the beans, even though I was told it was probably a bad idea." He chuckled nervously a bit as he admitted to jumping the gun, continuing to hold Dream close as the smaller wasn't complaining or pulling away. To be honest, he felt more comfortable next to Killer then he honestly should've considering he knew absolutely nothing about him. Maybe that was due to the fact that he was apparently Killer's destined soulmate, meaning he was meant to feel comfortable with him no matter what.

"Oh, I have an idea!" The taller excitedly blurted out, startling Dream a bit and eliciting another apology from the daemon. "Look, I know that this is a lot to take in, and realistically the two of us don't really know each other. So why don't we do what some of my brothers that found their soulmates have been doing? We can hang out as friends or go on dates, whichever you feel more comfortable with at the moment. That way we can get to know each other and that might make this easier for you. And I'll of course prioritize whatever you need in order to heal from whatever pushed you to last night. Does that sound good?"

The golden skeleton had to admit that the idea seemed way more manageable than suddenly having someone in his life that he was destined to fall in love with, especially considering a large part of him was still getting over Cross. He even explained as much to Killer, so that the taller was completely aware what the source for some of his reluctance was. It honestly surprised him how understanding and accepting of his pre-existing crush the black-teared skeleton was, nodding and offering nothing but support and understanding words. Killer even suggested that getting to know each other as friends first would probably make things easier and give him a chance to heal and move on before jumping into another relationship. The patience he seemed to have for Dream's needs was endless, surprising the smaller with how willing he was to accommodate and even point out what he needed. He felt no rush to sort out his feelings for this stranger that was offering their entire life to him, which somehow made the seemingly insurmountable task into something he could handle.

"Thanks Killer," Dream stated seemingly out of nowhere as all of this slowly started to sink in, a small smile on his face as he leaned tiredly against the taller skeleton. Maybe Cross hadn't been crazy when he pretty much forced him to go to bed right after eating, he did still feel pretty weak and drained and figured that would unfortunately probably be what he felt like tomorrow as well despite Lust's performance... that both he and Geno would be attending. That thought alone though helped him perk up and look past his current condition and the events that led to it, looking towards a far more optimistic future instead.

The taller looked down at him with a smile of his own, rubbing his shoulder before seemingly taking note of the exhaustion starting to show on his little soulmate. Shifting himself off the bed, he gently laid Dream back down into bed before pulling the covers back up over him. "For what?"

"For saving me, for being here, for being so understanding and patient and caring... for everything honestly," he admitted, his smile growing a bit as he did so.

Killer's smile seemed ready to split his skull in two from the sheer size of it after hearing those words. "No, I should be thanking you. Now that I've found you, my life finally has meaning. I get that you need time to heal and move past everything first before jumping into a relationship. So long as I get to help you heal and stay by your side, then I really don't mind waiting a bit. But you look pretty tired right now. Why don't you get some rest, and we can talk some more when you wake up? I'll be right here, so don't worry. You won't ever be alone again."

No, he never would. His friends and Killer would make sure of it. They'd make sure he got exactly what he needed in order to heal after all these years instead of burying his pain behind a fake smile. Moving forward, he'd one day be able to show his friends what his real smile looked like. And it seemed like he'd find love too, not with who he expected, but someone who was willing to wait until he was truly ready to open his soul up to someone new, giving the scars he'd accumulated time to properly heal and maybe even fade a bit. Closing his eyes and sinking into the soft bed, Dream enjoyed the peaceful quiet of his mind before falling into the best sleep he'd had for as long as he could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Killer is a completely dorky sweetheart and I love him :)


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally time to do the dance recital that was first mentioned back in chapter 2! Also it's time to start getting some Horrorlust in here!

"You want me to be what?"

"My wingman, I need you to tag along with me."

"Fuck dude, do you seriously need a wingman?" Horror complained, lounging lazily along one of the many couches in the mansion while sharpening his axe. He glared up at Error, who merely sent a similar look back. "I mean you've already found your soulmate, hell you were the first one out of all of us! It's not like you really need help getting into _Kiki's_ pants."

"First of all, don't call him that." While the others had all heard the pet name thrown around several times through the many phone calls shared between the two lovebirds, according to Error he was the only one allowed to call his little artist that. "Second of all, I'm not trying to get into his pants, why is it you automatically jump to sex? And third, this was a request from _Ink_. Apparently a friend of his that admittedly helped us out a lot has had a bad string of relationships and failed dates. So I got asked to bring someone along tonight in the hopes that maybe his friend might take interest."

The snake daemon stared at his brother for the longest time before huffing and getting up. He then proceeded to simply walk away with his axe thrown over his shoulder. "Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?!"

"Away. My hope is that if I walk away from you long enough you'll leave me out of your stupid plans for tonight and bug someone else." No way was he going to waste a night that he could spend searching for his soulmate on whatever the hell the spider daemon was trying to drag him to. At least that was the plan until he felt a quick tug on his arm before his axe was pulled from his grip. That caused him to furiously whip around, scowling at Error who was currently retracting the strings wrapped around the weapon. "Get your hands off of Bertha!" Horror shouted as he lunged at the glitchy skeleton, only to become entangled in a web of blue strings.

The chuckle coming from his brother only served to piss him off more as he watched his beloved axe be toyed with. "Wow, from the way you react when anyone touches this thing, you'd think this was your soulmate," he teased, dangling the axe mockingly just in front of Horror. The snake daemon, finding his arms and legs too restricted to reach for it, started straining his neck to try to bite it and grab hold. When that proved ineffective, he felt his legs already starting to fuse together as he started to transform. Error must've caught onto the subtle changes through his strings, smirking devilishly as he brought the axe back into his grip. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." A second set of arms appeared from underneath his coat, gripping the handle of the axe as if threatening to break it.

The snake's eyes went wide and his movements immediately stilled, a small whimper coming from him as his brother threatened to break his trusty weapon. Error's smirk merely grew at the docile behaviour. "Good boy. Now, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to keep your axe for the night, you won't be needing it anyways where we're going. You're going to head upstairs and make yourself look presentable, and you're going to come with me. I don't care if you have absolutely zero interest in Ink's friend, but I promised him I would try and you're the only one I could bring. If you behave yourself tonight, then I'll give you the axe back when we get home, deal?"

"Why me?" Was the only complaint coming out of the other skeleton's mouth, his body slumping in defeat before he nodded his head.

"Because, like I said, you're my only option. Dust, Fell, and Killer all have their own soulmates, so Ink would get upset with me if I brought someone who already had a boyfriend for his friend to meet. Reaper's already bailed to spend the night chasing busses, and I'm not gonna even try convincing Nightmare to make a public appearance. Don't know how he plans to ever find his soulmate by hiding in the mansion all the time, but not really my concern at the moment." Horror felt the strings tying him up slowly begin to loosen and unravel, eventually being set back on his feet. The snake sent his precious weapon a longing look, almost looking to Error with puppy dog eyes. The spider's reaction was to merely scoff. "Oh please, you seriously think after all the times I've put up with Dust's shit that 'the look' will work on me? Like I said, you'll get _Bertha_ back after we get home."

"Fine," Horror groaned, adjusting his shirt now that he was free. "Please tell me we're at least going to a bar or something I can stand."

"It's a dance performance."

"Oh for fucks sake dude! Do I look like the kind of guy with even the remotest interest in fucking ballet?!"

"You look like a guy desperate to get his axe back. Look, I don't give a damn if you even watch the performance, but his friend is one of the lead dancers and Ink already got me two tickets for this thing. So you're going, end of story. Be down here ready to go in an hour, and if you either try to sabotage this or are late I won't hesitate to break the damn axe." Horror watched his brother wander off to get ready, grumbling as he stormed off to his own room.

Living in the mansion had come with some serious perks he'd never had the privilege of having before; things like his own space, a bed, more than one outfit, and food every day. Some of these items he'd gotten tastes of when he joined up with Nightmare and the gang, but he'd never had so much at his disposal before. Going hungry was definitely not going to be something he ever missed.

Rifling through the few sets of clothes he had, he tried to pick out the nicest ones, aka the ones with the least amount of stains, so that Error would have absolutely no reason to snap his axe. His blue hoodie and pretty much everything else he'd been wearing before arriving at the city had been scrapped due to poor condition and blood stains, but he honestly didn't care. The guys had thought it would be funny to get him a bunch of plaid so that he'd look like some lumberjack with his axe, so that was all he'd been given for shirts. The surprise to them all was that he actually ended up liking the plaid, getting worn jeans and boots to go with it. He was particularly proud of the jean jacket he'd found in some thrift shop that completed the look, at least in his opinion. Dust could keep the damn blue hoodie, he was happy with his new look.

The next step was one that he absolutely hated, but unfortunately had to do any time he went outside. Giant holes in heads weren't normal, not even by skeleton standards. He'd trying going out the one time without anything covering it, only to send the first person that saw him running in fear and screaming for the police to get the 'psycho'. Next time he'd tried putting a random ball cap on, only for a gust of wind to knock it off and the above scenario to repeat. So now he had to bandage and tape his skull to cover the hole because the sensitive fucking humans would freak out and call the cops on him otherwise. The cap still went on to cover the bandages, as he'd gotten sick and tired of people asking him if he was alright or needed to go to the hospital. It might've not been very windy out earlier, but he wasn't taking any chances with Bertha on the line. "Leave it to the damn spider to hold my axe hostage," Horror grumbled as he started wrapping his head, having gotten used to it after the number of times he'd done it and no longer needing a mirror for anything other than final taping to ensure nothing came loose.

When the top of his skull was sufficiently mummified, Horror put the black baseball cap on to cover the bandages, finding the contrast enough that any of the white fabric that could be seen would blend in with his skull and not draw attention. Stepping out, the snake realized he still had some time before he had to be ready, so he found his feet taking him to the kitchen to look for a snack or two... or three. His brothers would often make fun of his typically voracious appetite, but he couldn't help it. After going so long without food in the past, having it available in excess often led to kitchen raids that left the room in a state of chaos. At least as a skeleton he wouldn't ever gain weight, so he was free to enjoy the food in that respect.

In hindsight, going to the kitchen was a mistake, highlighting the reason why he wasn't supposed to be left alone in this particular room of the house. The daemon completely lost track of time, and eventually lost his pants and shoes in favour of slithering around where he could more easily reach the top shelves in search of goodies. The room was already a disaster, discarded cookie boxes and other food packaging thrown on counters and floor alike. As the time to meet Error came and went, Horror continued to pull random things out of cupboards and shovel part of it into his mouth before throwing the rest of the box aside in favour of something else. After getting yelled at for finishing off the last of an item too many times, he'd developed the habit of making sure there was always enough left over for someone else to enjoy, even if it only prolonged his time in the kitchen and made the mess worse.

"What the fuck?! Horror!" Said skeleton heard the furious cry come from behind, turning around with a couple crackers sticking out of his mouth to see Error seething at the chaotic scene before him. His brother was all ready to go from the looks of it, wearing a different coat and pants that were less stitched together, limiting the hobo look he always seemed to be going for. The snake however was more concerned with the two crackers in his mouth, pulling them inside to be chewed while his hand slowly slipping into the box to pull more out while he never broke eye contact with his brother. As two more crackers slipped out of the box, it seemed to only anger Error more. "Put the damn box down!" He shouted, strings coming from his fingertips to wrestle with him if it came to that. "Drop it! Drop it or I'll bring Bertha into this mess!" The box immediately fell from his grip and landed on the floor, a couple of the crackers falling out before Horror quickly shoved the ones in his hand into his mouth. "Oh my god, Night's gonna blame me for this!" The glitchy skeleton whined, hanging his head in his hands and groaning at the state of destruction.

While he felt a bit of guilt for causing the mess, Horror's thoughts were more focused on food right now. Pulling his head out of his hands, Error must've seen where Horror's good eye was focused because he quickly crossed the kitchen floor and grabbed hold of the snake's wrist, dragging him out of the kitchen while his strings gathered up the discarded articles of clothing that had thankfully been tossed aside far from the carnage and had been spared from most of the mess. Error practically threw his brother into the nearby guest bathroom on the ground floor. "Five minutes is all you've got. Change forms and get your freaking pants back on while I hunt down someone to deal with this mess."

As the door slammed shut and the spider daemon stormed off, Horror sighed and started changing back to his monster form, already missing how powerful his snakelike lower half always made him feel. Within the allotted time he'd managed to get his pants and boots back on, brushing off any crumbs and trying to remove any stains on his jacket and shirt with the time he had left. Once he was as presentable as he was going to get he placed his hat back on his head and stepped out, Error already leaning on a nearby wall and ready to go. "Great, you're ready. Let's get out of here before Dust manages to find a way out of his new job and we're stuck with the blame."

"Wait, you got Dust to clean up the kitchen? Willingly, bribery, or blackmail?" It was honestly hard to tell with Error, and the lack of answer he received simply left him guessing. Though the evil chuckle he gave off implied it was the last one, which made sense as he seriously doubted that the monkey would ever willingly volunteer for chores of any kind. A glance over his shoulder revealed their youngest brother already grumbling to himself with a broom in hand and a tail picking up discarded boxes to set on the counter. When Dust looked back, all it took was one look from Error for the younger skeleton to pick up his pace and get back to work, further cementing the blackmail idea. "What the hell did you do to him in five minutes?"

"Turns out Ink is friends with his soulmate Blue. All it took was me pointing that out to him and how it would be so easy to pay his little soulmate a visit and he was quick to grab the broom."

"Dude, threatening a soulmate? That's low, even for you."

Error shot him a look of mock surprise, clearly meant to be seen through. "Oh, but I said nothing of the sort! I merely pointed out how my soulmate could help me find his if the need ever arose, I never once threatened the little Blueberry."

"For you, knowing where to find someone is enough of a threat," he pointed out. Honestly, the way Error's mind worked was terrifying, constantly spinning little webs and entangling people without them ever knowing until it was too late. While he wasn't as powerful as Reaper or as ruthless as Nightmare, their strategist's cunning made him just as dangerous.

Once again the glitchy skeleton answered with a dark chuckle, the two starting the walk into town. While living just outside of the city made it safer for them and gave them the freedom to be in their daemon forms as they saw fit, it wasn't exactly the most convenient thing ever considering none of them knew how to drive. Nearly all of them were more mobile in their daemon forms and weren't limited to travel via roadway, so it had never been an issue. It was situations like this though where they were limited in the use of their daemon forms that pointed out to him just how inconvenient legs were. "Are you sure I can't take off my pants?" He whined, hoping that the older daemon would relent.

All he needed was one look to know that he wouldn't be getting such freedom tonight. "After trashing the kitchen? You're lucky I let you keep the damn jeans instead of making you wear dress pants. But you have a point that our daemon forms would be so much more convenient..." The spider trailed off as a wicked glint appeared in his eye, Horror immediately regretting his complaint. Without warning a set of vibrant blue threads wrapped around his middle, any words of protest cut off as he was suddenly yanked into the air.

"Error, you fucking spider! Put me down before I squash you!"

The threat held little weight apparently, even though Horror's daemon's form was far larger than any of the others. "You really think you could squish me? I'd like to see you try one of these days." Despite spiders being the smallest of all their animal counterparts, Error never seemed to be too worried about his size or strength compared to the others. "Though if you still want down I'd happily oblige," the glitchy skeleton added on as his other arms worked his threads to pull them through the trees at a much faster pace than walking.

The genuine tone behind his brother's words made the snake daemon pause, looking down only to frantically grab hold of the strings with one hand and his hat with the other. "Whatever you do, please don't drop me!" He frantically shouted back, now aware of how they were very high up in the air and moving at a very fast speed, enough that he really didn't want to hit the ground.

"What was that? It's a little hard to hear with the wind," Error called back, making the other skeleton's soul sink and his eyes widen in dread of the next words. "Drop you, is that what you said? Okay then!" The snake's desperate attempts to correct the other daemon turned into a scream of pure terror as he started plummeting towards the ground.

A few meters above the ground the strings around him went taut once again, halting his movements with a sudden jerk that cut off his shrieking. All he could hear for the next few minutes was his soul practically beating out of his chest and the spider daemon's laughter, Horror breathing heavily while he was slowly reeled back in to his previous position behind his brother. "Never would've guessed you scream like a girl," Error smugly commented, turned around so that he wasn't even facing where they were going and simply relying on his strings to inform him of their path and any obstacles. "I'm gonna love using that against you for the next while."

While he was tempted to make another comment back in response, the way his words were so easily manipulated made him pause. Instead of giving his brother more ammunition to use against his already wounded pride, he chose to instead quietly grumble and let himself be dragged along as the pair continued to effortlessly glide through the trees. "Oh, giving me the silent treatment now, are we? Don't want to say something else stupid?" Error chuckled as the younger daemon turned away, purposely looking away from the other to avoid getting dragged into something else. "Fine by me, I rarely get moments of peace and quiet at home."

"You're never home," Horror quietly grumbled, still holding onto his hat to avoid losing it along the way. "You're too busy making out with Kiki."

"What was that?" The subtle edge to the spider daemon's voice made it clear that he'd at least heard part of what was said if not all of it, daring Horror to expand on his thoughts or say something else about his little artist.

"I said go fuck yourself," he shouted back before returning to silence, making it clear that Error wouldn't get him riled up again, at least for the length of their journey to the city. Even when they got to the point where Error had to put them both down and they had to continue walking, Horror maintained his silence much to the amusement of his brother.

It wasn't much longer after they left the forest behind before they reached the city outskirts, managing to get on a bus to head into the city proper. When it became clear that the snake daemon still wasn't in the mood for conversation, the glitchy skeleton hopped onto his phone and started texting his soulmate back and forth. Hearing the joyful laughter and looking over to see the genuine smiles directed at the device only served to hammer home how lonely Horror felt. There was a reason that he'd volunteered almost every night to head out and search the city for information or threats, and with Reaper having encountered a low-ranked hunter only two nights ago there was even more need for regular patrols in the hopes of catching wind of hunters moving into the city before it was too late. But for him it worked to increase his chances of running into his soulmate, and hopefully not be the last one in the group to find his. With only Nightmare and Reaper remaining beside himself, his odds of being the last one were steadily increasing.

While Error continued to be absorbed in his phone, Horror let his imagination run wild as he blankly stared out the window, wondering what his soulmate would be like. They'd be made for him, so they probably wouldn't be squeamish about violence, likely a fighter of some sort. Oh, and they'd definitely love food and not be a picky eater. Maybe they'd have something that made them stand out as strange like his damaged skull did, something that maybe they had to hide too to avoid upsetting humans. Would they like plaid? Would they wear plaid too?

Then again when he compared the soulmates the others had, maybe his soulmate would turn out to be the exact opposite. Error never seemed like the type to have any interest in art, and while Dust's soulmate matched him in terms of energy Blue seemed too innocent for their murder monkey. Fell's soulmate definitely didn't fit the edgy vibe the cat threw off, though he was more aware than most of how their brother hid his more dorky interests to avoid ridicule. And then there was Killer, whose soulmate turned out to be Nightmare's twin brother. While he never actually met the guy, Reaper had described him as overly positive, at least until the guy apparently attempted suicide. Honestly Killer was the hardest to determine whether he matched his soulmate or not, but it all made him question whether his ideal soulmate would be the exact opposite of what he was expecting.

"Horror... Horror... Snap out of it man, we're here!" The words went completely unheard as the daemon was simply too lost in thought, only snapping out of it when he was roughly shaken by his shoulder. "Come on dude, this is our stop. We miss it and we're stuck walking about ten minutes back to the campus," Error growled, practically pulling his brother out of the seat and towards the nearby doors. "What the hell were you spacing out about anyways?"

Forgetting about how he was in a pissy silence earlier, Horror righted himself and fixed his hat as they stepped off of the bus. "Just wondering what my soulmate will turn out to be like," he admitted.

"Well, who knows, maybe they'll turn out to be one of the dancers tonight?"

"Fuck no, you seriously think I'll ever fall for a dancer? They'll be so small and frail that I'd snap them like a twig."

"Not my fault you're freakishly strong," Error muttered before his usual grumpy face was replaced with a smile that meant only one thing. "Kiki! Over here!"

A short skeleton that had their back turned to them spun around at the call, their face lighting up as they started running at the two daemons and launched themselves at Error. "Ruru!" They called out, leading Horror to assume that this was the famous Ink. Honestly he had no idea what was so appealing about the shorty, though the black stain on the artist's cheek made him feel a little better about the few stains littering his own outfit.

The couple embraced as soon as Error caught his smaller partner, spinning around a bit before they kissed. What would've been a tender moment between the two was completely ruined when Horror made a gagging noise beside them, drawing a glare from his brother. "Can you not? I don't want to deal with you being jealous all night, so keep your lonely single status to yourself."

The spider's smug grin as he openly flaunted his soulmate was wiped off his face as a fist gently bonked the top of his skull. "Oh come on, be nice," Ink chastised, surprising the other daemon with just how easily he brought Error to heel. As the smaller was set back down, he came over and took a brief look at Horror before holding his hand out to him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ink. Not sure if you're exactly Lust's type, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

As Horror introduced himself, Error came over and threw an arm around the smaller's shoulders. "Sorry, I know he doesn't exactly seem the type but he was the only one available. Honestly the guy I knew that your friend might get along with was already gone by the time I got home, said something about having to catch a bus."

"Oh well, I'm sure it'll be no big deal. Lust has dated pretty much every type at least once, so I'm sure he's tried a redneck before." Being called redneck only served to bring a light bit of colour to his cheeks, prompting laughter from his brother and a confused reaction from his brother's boyfriend. Yep, this night was gonna suck.

After his laughter died down, the glitchy skeleton turned his attention to the smaller skeleton leaning against him. "Well, you said we had to meet up with your friends before heading to the performance, right? Should we get going? Wouldn't want us to be late." Ink excitedly agreed, grabbing hold of Error's hand and leading the way while Horror quietly followed from behind.

With nothing better to do, he simply tried to tune out the conversation ahead of him that was half lovey dovey stuff and half artistic rambling, instead looking around campus. He'd never thought to go looking around here for his soulmate, choosing to instead inspect areas where he felt a hunter was more likely to be hiding. It was his main responsibility when he was out patrolling anyways, so exploring spots where hunters didn't seem to be likely sounded kind of stupid to him.

Paying just enough attention to where they were going so as to not get separated or lost, the snake daemon was completely caught off guard by Ink running ahead and dragging Error with him, forcing Horror to scramble to catch up. Finally looking where they were going, he realized that there was a group of skeletons waiting up ahead that the artist was clearly running towards as he waved back at them. Killer was among the group, standing next to who he guessed was Dream even though the golden skeleton looked absolutely nothing like their leader. The one dressed in blue had to be Dust's soulmate, the blue starry eyes giving it away as it was a pretty unique eye shape. And the one wearing glasses, was that Fell's soulmate? Holy crap, were all of his brothers' soulmates friends with each other?

The only two in the group that didn't seem to be familiar in the slightest was a skeleton in a wheelchair with a red scarf and the monochrome skeleton standing just behind him. Wondering if maybe there was a running theme here, he paid particular attention to those two, but all he ended up getting was a weird look from the pair before he gave up and assumed neither of them were his soulmate. So much for that theory.

"So, who are your friends Ink?" Dream piped up, snapping Horror's attention back to the bulk of the crowd.

The artist had a giddy expression on his face as he wrapped his arms around Error's middle, catching the taller off guard for a second before he hugged back. "Well, I guess now's the perfect time to introduce you all to my boyfriend! Meet Error!" Instantly Dream and Blue darted forward to inspect the glitchy skeleton, staring at him critically before turning to Ink and legitimately squealing, the pitch making the snake daemon chaos cringe and shuffle away as the two congratulated their friend and started babbling nonsensical questions that he could barely understand.

His movement only seemed to draw the gaze of the group of squealing skeletons, Horror almost feeling like prey that had given away its location to a predator. Given that he was usually the predator, he was not liking the role reversal as the pair separated from Ink to inspect him instead. "If that one's the boyfriend," Blue started, the look in his eyes unnerving the daemon. "Then I guess this must be your champion! But, you really think he'll go for a hillbilly?"

"Hillbilly?! Champion?! Error what the hell have you dragged me into?!" He shouted at his brother, trying to back away from the two brightly coloured skeletons that were now following him.

As his brother gave a shrug and a look that said 'sorry', Dream suddenly backed off and laughed a bit. "Of course the scatterbrain didn't mention anything," he chuckled, earning an indignant 'you're one to talk' to his back from Ink that was promptly ignored, making it clear who the comment was about. "Ink, Blue, and I came to the conclusion a while ago that our friend Lust was hopeless when it came to finding love for himself, even if he was great at helping literally everyone else. So we've kinda made it a challenge to see who can pick out a proper boyfriend for him first! It's Ink's turn to choose a champion, or in other words the guy he thinks that Lust might show some interest in, aka you. We're just surprised that he'd pick... someone like you, no offense."

"To be fair, Error actually helped me pick this one," Ink piped up, back to clinging to his boyfriend's side. "They live together!"

A strange look flashed across Dream's face as his gaze turned back to Killer, and while most paid no attention to the silent exchange the snake daemon was pretty sure he already had it pegged. Since Dream was Nightmare's twin, that meant that he'd grown up learning all about daemons and the many quirks of the race, including the concept of soulmates. Since Dream had met Error when setting up the mansion for them to live in, the golden skeleton knew that he was a daemon, and that was probably the source of the smirk on his face following his look to Killer for what he guessed was confirmation. He knew that Ink's chances of winning their little challenge this time were pretty much nonexistent.

"Um guys?" A far more timid voice piped up, drawing everyone's attention to Sci. "I-If we want to make it in time, we should p-probably get going now." How did their resident edgelord have someone like this for a soulmate? They seemed so... weak, completely lacking the backbone and fiery temper Fell was infamous for.

"He's right guys, we should get moving," the monochrome skeleton confirmed, leading the way as he pushed the chair bound skeleton in front of him. The others were quick to follow as if he was their leader, with Ink dragging Error along and excitedly babbling to his friends about things that ranged from embarrassing to flattering. Once again, Horror chose to walk in the back of the pack and let the others have their fun, simply enjoying the near permanent blush on his brother's cheeks as their entire relationship was laid bare for the others to comment on.

As they approached the dance hall, more and more people started to crowd the streets, with Horror slipping up to walk next to Killer so that he wouldn't get lost. But at some point the frog daemon stopped, all others following Dream as the golden skeleton stopped as well and gave his soulmate a hug. "Sorry Dream, wish I could come in with you," he muttered, sending the smaller an apologetic look.

While Horror wasn't the smartest out of his brothers, Error was and was kind enough to fill the clueless skeleton in by flashing the ticket in his hand. "Well, I could always give you my ticket-" he started, only to be cut off by Ink grabbing his wrist and shoving the ticket into his hand.

"Oh no you don't! I already told Lust that I'd bring someone for him to meet, so Killer can't take your place! I am not losing my shot at winning by having my champion give his ticket to the guy that's been clinging to my competition for the past couple days!" As he looked to Error for help, the spider made it very clear that he had no intention of upsetting his soulmate or letting anything get in the way of the artist's plans, actually agreeing and helping to drag him inside. An added little comment about Bertha made him give up and stop fighting.

As Dream said goodbye to Killer and the pair agreed to see each other in a couple hours after the show was done, the snake was finally made aware of how long his torture would persist for as they headed inside and were directed to their seats. With Error half leading half dragging him to his, he wasn't surprised when he was almost pushed into his seat by the other daemon. Thankfully he was next to his brother instead of one of the others that he didn't really know, offering a slight comfort to him.

More and more people piled into the room, and with the grumpy daemon soon growing tired of sulking he instead looked down the row that was predominantly taken up by the group he was with. He had the aisle seat, meaning that if it weren't for his trusty axe being threatened he would've bolted and never looked back. To his left was Error with Ink right beside him, followed by Blue, Dream, and then the monochrome skeleton. On the other side of the seat was the scarfed skeleton, having been moved out of his wheelchair in order to sit on the theatre chair while the monochrome skeleton worked to fold the chair up and take it out of the aisle next to where Horror was sitting. That left Sci sitting on the scarfed skeleton's other side, and a few strangers filling up the rest of the row past that.

Almost as if he could tell that Horror was looking at him, the scarfed skeleton turned and stared directly at him with a look that set the daemon's instincts on edge, causing him to very quickly divert his gaze. However he managed to look forward just as the monochrome skeleton was coming back from setting the wheelchair aside, catching a similarly unnerving glare as the skeleton seemed to slow his pace when walking by him on his way back to his seat. The second the stranger sat down, he and the other skeleton were talking and joking amongst each other, occasionally switching to talk with Dream or Sci to the point where Horror wondered if he'd imagined the whole exchange. But he still couldn't shake the looming feeling of dread that felt like it was hanging right above him. Damn Error, he was definitely going to pay for getting him involved in this.

Eventually the theatre was completely filled, with the conversations among the many guests starting to die down. The daemon was actually starting to enjoy the peace and quiet, wishing he had his axe and could relax by sharpening it like he often did. Unfortunately that peace was very quickly ruined as Ink practically flopped across Error's lap and startled him, grinning at the now frowning skeleton that was seriously wondering what his brother's soulmate was up to now. "Okay, Lust is gonna be one of the lead dancers in the show, he should be pretty easy to recognize and should be leading one of the groups. The guy's a skeleton with purple eyelights that are most often heart shaped, don't know what his costume is for this show but I'm sure you'll recognize him. So just sit back and watch and hopefully show some interest!"

A skeleton with purple eyelights shaped like hearts? Guess that was pretty distinctive, and he figured the odds of there being more than one skeleton in a lead position were pretty low. Wait, was he getting excited to see them? No, that couldn't be right, this was nothing but a waste of his time. He needed to be out looking for his soulmate instead of watching this stupid performance that he had zero interest in. And yet, he couldn't deny that a part of him was legitimately interested in seeing this skeleton appear. Whatever was driving him to be interested, he had no clue what it was, but as time passed he found that feeling in him growing stronger. No longer thinking about how long this performance would be before he could leave, he was now wondering how long it would take for the damn thing to start.

The lights began to dim as the rest of the hushed whispers floating about drew silent, everyone's focus drawn to the stage as the dark curtain concealing it from view drew back, the lighting focusing on a single figure curled up into a ball on the ground. Not a skeleton, the human girl unfurled herself to be wearing what looked like a fairy costume, complete with pastel wings and sparkly clothes that seemed to shimmer with her every movement.

Another two joined the girl on stage dressed in similar outfits, the three dancing about and seeming like they were having a great time as they jumped and spun across the stage. The music was so jovial and upbeat... Horror honestly couldn't stand it. When the hell was life ever this happy? The best thing that had ever happened to him was meeting Nightmare and the others, and even then they'd all been constantly running for their lives nonstop until this city. Now all the others were disappearing as their soulmates either needed or wanted them nearby, leaving the snake daemon once again all alone. If real life wasn't this happy, why were they trying to portray a world that was?

These thoughts made him quite thrilled when the tone suddenly shifted at the appearance of what looked to be a human soldier, a scout from the light armour they wore. All the fairies stopped in their tracks and stared at them before both the fairies and the human ran off stage in opposite directions. A few quick scenes were shown of the human and fairies reporting this, commanders from both sides ordering their forces to prepare for battle. While he never expected fighting to come out of a dance performance, this was certainly turning out to be less of a waste of time than he thought it would be.

What surprised him even more was how the characters still were dancing while telling this story of war between humans and the forgotten kingdom of fairies, using their actions in place of words in combination with lighting and audio effects that truly brought the story to life. It was like watching a movie unfold as the scenes progressed.

A large gathering of fairies now dominated the stage, many wearing armour and bearing weapons while what looked to be the military leaders stood ready on a raised dais. There was one seat in the middle that remained empty though, Horror assuming that the next person that stepped onto stage would be the leader of the fairies and take the empty seat. And he was right. Out walked a skeletal figure with a golden crown on their head, long legs elegantly striding to the dais while a regal purple cloak gently fluttered behind them. Violet wings protruded from their back, the cloak fashioned in such a way so as to not interfere. All movement stopped as the newcomer approached, the music going silent so that all that could be heard was the echo of their heeled boots clicking along the ground. It wasn't until after reaching the empty spot that they opened their eyes and a set of purple hearts were revealed. Horror realized that this was the friend he'd been brought along to meet... and they were _gorgeous_.

If he remembered correctly, the others had referred to them as Lust, yet the daemon couldn't understand why someone with such angelic beauty would be named after one of the seven deadly sins. A fallen angel perhaps? This idea was only further cemented in his mind as the cloak that had been concealing his body up until this point was ripped off, revealing an ornate set of battle armour from head to toe, complete with a heart emblazoned on the chest that matched his eyes. A warrior king, preparing to lead his people into battle against the human forces, drawing his sword as a declaration that sent the fairies into an uproar.

That scene marked the end of the first half of the show, the curtain drawing close to announce an intermission. And yet Horror found himself disappointed as he watched the velvety fabric hide the gorgeous skeleton from him. His gaze lingered on the stage, only interrupted when Error chuckled beside him. "Well, that was not a turn of events either of us was expecting."

"What? What are you on about?" Instead of getting an answer, the spider daemon simply got up and gestured for him to follow, Horror doing so after a moment's hesitation. They went outside of the theatre, finding a quiet spot towards the back of the building free from any possible eavesdroppers. "Okay, we're completely alone, care to explain yourself now?"

A chuckle came from the glitchy skeleton, the knowing look on his face unnerving his brother just a bit. "And here I was just bringing you to placate Ink, never thought you'd actually find your soulmate here."

"Wait, what? Who? When? Where? How?" He was utterly confused as to what Error was implying, struggling to wrap his head around it. He'd found his soulmate?

"Geez, calm down and maybe I'll be able to explain," Error huffed, waiting until Horror wasn't outwardly freaking out to explain his observations. "That skeleton, the one on stage that just so happens to be the friend you were brought here to meet, I saw how you were staring at him the entire time he was onstage. Even when the curtains drew close you continued to stare where he'd been, looking like a lost puppy when you couldn't see him anymore.

"Wait seriously?" The older daemon nodded his head, Horror still trying to wrap his head around what this meant. He'd finally found them, his soulmate, the one he was destined to be with. All this time searching, and they'd been right there in front of him. "I need to see him," he suddenly decided, wanting nothing more than to hear the purple skeleton's voice and truly meet him.

Just as he turned around to head back inside and find them, a set of strings wrapped around his arm and tugged him back. "Hold it Horror, I'm not about to let you do something stupid," he growled, shooting back the glare the snake daemon sent at being stopped. "He might be your soulmate, but the two of you are still strangers. You've never had a single conversation, and yet you want to break your way in backstage and completely interrupt the production, probably pissing Lust off in the process?"

Horror blinked a couple times before going limp, no longer fighting to go as he realized that Error was right and he was an idiot. "I'm so stupid," he grumbled, looking to the back of the building longingly, as if he could see Lust just past those walls. "So what the hell do I do? You found your soulmate first, so help me."

"Chill dude, I'm not gonna leave you high and dry," the spider daemon assured, retracting his strings and releasing Horror's arm. "Look, Ink already planned on introducing you to his friend after the performance in the hopes that you two would hit it off, so if you can wait until then and simply enjoy the show in the meantime, then you'll get a chance to talk to him. Even though I was the most awkward creature in existence when I met Ink, we still hit it off really well and it wasn't long before we couldn't stop messaging each other. Can you wait until the end of the show?" Once he received a nod, Error smiled back. "Good, then let's grab our seats and see how this all ends. Don't know about you, but I'm pretty curious to see what happens."

The two returned to their seats towards the end of the intermission, Ink immediately clinging to his boyfriend and asking what had happened and why they'd left. The glitchy skeleton was easily able to play it off, calming the smaller down to where he was simply back babbling about the show and his opinion on it as an artist.

For Horror, his attention was quickly consumed by the stage as the lights once again dimmed to signal the end of intermission, the daemon eager to see more of his beautiful soulmate in action. So of course the lack of his presence immediately left him disappointed. At one end of the stage were the fairy warriors, on the other side the human forces. Silence reigned for a moment before both sides launched into battle, somehow dancing while fighting with extremely impressive choreography. Maybe he'd cut dancers too short, as this was actually pretty good. It was too organized to be a real fight, with each person fighting only one other and carefully dodging their blows, but it still looked pretty cool.

As the battle waged on, the human forces seemed to be winning, with one particular member of the audience waiting with bated breath for his fallen angel to join the fight. And sure enough, he did, intercepting a strike for one of the other fairies with his sword and cutting the human down. The fairy king, now backed by his generals, stood face to face with the human commander and his generals. The generals from both sides launched at each other in the background, placing the two leaders at the front of the stage for their deadly dance.

From the way the fairy king was moving, it was almost as if his wings were real, the agile skeleton nimbly dodging and weaving around his opponent's strikes, capable of acrobatic flips and twists despite the armour he was wearing and the sword in one hand. At one point he jumped over the other commander, curling into a ball and landing perfectly behind him before placing the sword against the human's neck in a sign of victory.

Just as the daemon was sure that the fairies would win this, a sword suddenly was run through the king's armour and stomach, instantly putting Horror on edge even though it was just a production and there was no blood. The king stumbled back in shock, turning only to see one of his own holding the blade yet wearing the same armour the humans did. The traitorous fairy pulled the blade out, the king falling to his knees. Before the human commander could turn around and deal the final blow though, the fairy generals rushed the field, cutting down the traitor and dealing a serious blow to the enemy leader before scooping up the king and fleeing.

The humans declared themselves the victor of the battle, driving the king's sword into the ground with his crown hung on the handle, a symbol of his defeat. The lights faded to black, leading Horror to believe it was over, until the light slowly returned to a completely different scene. The crown and sword remained, showing that the lush green area was once a battlefield and the last stand of the fairies. Humans danced about and looked to be enjoying themselves just as the fairies had at the beginning, leading the snake daemon to pout at the lackluster ending to the story.

Yet as a large group of humans danced past, a cloaked figure could now be seen behind the sword. A pair of skeletal hands reached towards the blade, two purple hearts and a pair of violet wings visible on the figure just as the humans danced the other way, concealing them from view. When the humans finally cleared, the figure was gone, as well as the crown that had been hanging from the sword.

With that scene the curtain drew close as the lights dimmed to leave only a spotlight on the sword, eventually blocked by the curtains as the crowd erupted into applause. The dancers began to make their way back on stage, bowing and enjoying the attention and praise to their work. Looking to his left, Horror could see all of the others on their feet clapping, even Error as well as the one that had been in a wheelchair thanks to the assistance of the monochrome skeleton beside him. Grinning, the snake daemon stood up as well and began clapping with the rest of them, ignoring all of the other dancers and instead focusing on his soulmate that was center stage with the human commander, both of them smiling widely and looking so proud of themselves and their fellow dancers.

As the dancers exited the stage and the applause died off, it became time for the audience to leave as well. Following the group of skeletons out, the daemon waited for the promised moment of introduction. He stuck next to his brother for the most part, ignoring the excited chatter among the rest of the group as they congregated outside of the building to wait for Lust.

"So, how long until I meet this friend of yours?" He asked Ink, the artist diving into thought for a moment before explaining how they typically had to wait half an hour for their friend to finish up with changing and putting away anything that needed to be take care of immediately. So while the others continued to have fun and discuss the performance, Horror quietly waited on the sidelines to meet his soulmate.

A half hour came and went, the daemon growling quietly to himself at being forced to wait longer but simply assumed from how relaxed the others were that this was normal and the artist merely underestimated the time. But as another half hour passed he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going wrong. He felt like something was holding Lust up. And when the others started asking each other where their friend was, he started to worry.

Focusing his attention, Horror pushed all other sensory data away and went with one his snakelike nature made far more sensitive to him, vibrations. Typically he didn't rely on that sense too often in his monster form, as it required far more focus compared to when he was in his daemon form, but he was still more than capable of accessing that sense and the information it gave him.

What he could feel wasn't good. Several feet stomping about towards the back of the building, even further than where he and Error had talked. One of the sets of feet produced far more subtle vibrations, indicating a lighter frame behind the graceful steps. No doubt in his mind, they had to belong to Lust. And with the other sets of feet advancing on him, the daemon wasted no time in splitting off from the rest of the group and bolting, ignoring Error's shouting and continuing to run. Not like the spider daemon could stop him in front of the crowd, not without outing himself, and their strategist would never do such a thing. Besides, if his soulmate really was in danger like his senses were telling him, then nothing would stop him on his path to rescue them... and of course he'd rip apart any who got in his way. Now he really wished he had Bertha with him.


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains allusions to and mentions of rape, violence.
> 
> Please read at your own discretion.  
> (No lemony elements, I wouldn't even count this as a lime so don't worry about smut.)

Lust let out a breath he'd been holding in once the curtain drew shut, a smile stretching across his face as him and the other dancers heard the applause echoing in the auditorium. The group all made their way backstage, took one look at each other, and burst into excited cheers and squeals. They'd been practicing that show since the beginning of the semester, all of them putting in several hours and long nights in order to pull it off. And they completely nailed it.

"Oh wow, they're still going!" One of the girls commented, the group pausing their celebration for a moment to hear the applause before starting up again.

"We freaking nailed that!" Another girl commented.

One of the guys piped up, "I'm just glad you didn't trip over your two left feet Stacie."

"Shut up! I can dance better than you!"

"And let's not forget the man of the hour and our saviour!" Another of the girls chimed in, pulling Lust forward and hugging him tightly. "I still can't believe you originally got cast as an extra! You pulled off the lead part amazingly!"

"She's right, pretty sure you dance way better than Rebecca! How the hell did that bitch end up as fairy queen anyways?"

"Oh come on, we all know she's sleeping with the professor to get the best parts and good grades." They all burst out laughing, a couple more insults being thrown around at the bitch that Lust had replaced at the last minute. It had been chaotic, with Dream's suicide scare really not helping things, but he'd somehow managed to pull it off in the couple days' worth of notice that he'd had.

The purple skeleton let out a shy laugh, scratching at his cheek a bit while continuing to smile like crazy. "I'm just relieved that I didn't let any of you down."

"Dude are you serious? Relax, not only did you not let any of us down, you saved the whole production and played the part way better than Rebecca ever did!" One of the guys that had been playing a fairy general spoke up. "I don't even know how you move like that, like I get that you don't have to worry about damaging muscles or anything like that, but the way you flip and spin around just doesn't seem possible, and I was right there next to you on the stage!"

While the guy scratched his head, trying to wrap his head around the way that Lust could move and his flexibility, another piped up. "Yeah, you got to tell us your secret Lust! Come on, don't leave us hanging!" A few others seemed to want to know his secret, the girls moving to grab hold of the skeleton as he tried to dodge out of the question.

"Oh come on guys, it's nothing that impressive! I just throw in some extra practice, helps with my flexibility and my confidence. Nothing special," he insisted, which was essentially true. Since it was fun keeping his dancing trump card secret from the others, he continued to do so even if it really wasn't anything worth keeping a secret on.

His trump card had actually came from Geno in a way. His friend had figured out shortly after meeting him that he'd been dealing with bullying and confidence issues, having to put on a front with the others to save face and avoid upsetting them. That had done little to deter the observant skeleton, who in a relatively short period of time managed to gather a surprising amount of evidence that pointed to his problems, enough that Lust couldn't deny it. And like always, Geno had seemed to know what the perfect solution was.

The scarfed skeleton had dragged him off that same day to a nearby martial arts studio, one that performed the Brazilian martial art capoeira. He'd learned in that first visit that the martial art had originally been developed by slaves to disguise fight practice as dance, meaning that the moves were highly acrobatic and rhythmic. Upon Geno's insistence he gave it a shot, quickly falling in love with the martial art and how naturally it complimented his skills as a dancer. It had taken some getting used to and a lot of juggling to work it into his busy schedule, but it was definitely worth it. Not only did it give him the confidence boost to not seem like an easy target, but it taught him fighting techniques in case he got into a situation like that and helped improved his dancing on top of that.

The group continued to celebrate for a while longer before the professor came backstage, giving them his own round of applause. "Wonderful job, all of you! I'm extremely impressed with how you all managed to rally together and pull this off, even with Rebecca's regrettable injury." Yep, she was definitely sleeping with him if he got that upset from bringing up her inability to perform. Lust couldn't help but wonder if her cast made her unable to perform in other ways. "Anyways, I know many of you probably have plans either amongst yourselves or with loved ones that came to watch, so I won't keep you all too long. Let's hurry up and get what absolutely needs to be cleaned up dealt with so that you can all go."

All of the dancers quickly dispersed so that they could get their work done and go, stripping costumes and sets to be properly sorted and put away during one of their classes. With a sigh Lust said goodbye to the crown and armour he'd worn for his part as the warrior king of the fairies, his fingers brushing against the purple heart that he'd painted over top of the hideous design Rebecca had put on it once the armour was officially going to be his. While it had been made to be lightweight and flexible so as to not impede the movements of a dancer, it had still made him feel strong and powerful and he was a little reluctant to let it go. With his friends waiting for him outside though, he wanted to hurry so as to not keep them waiting too long.

Once his costume had been put away and he'd changed back to his usual attire, Lust moved to assist the others in tearing down the stage props and backdrops, chucking them into boxes and onto carts to be sorted through and stored in the hopes that they could be repurposed for another production. He knew that his crown and sword had come from a Shakespearean play that the drama students had put on the year before, and the backdrops would likely be painted over for whatever story needed them next. Made perfect sense honestly for the fine arts department to recycle props and save on expenses the way it did.

One by one the dancers started to vanish, sneaking out in order to go hang out with their friends or family and making the rest of the work start to drag on for those that were left. What should've been a fifteen minute job was quickly turning into a half hour of work. The purple skeleton was seriously tempted to bail as well, feeling bad for the others having to wait longer than necessary, but any time he thought he had an opening, the professor was standing right there and watching him like a hawk. Lust knew why he'd been cast as an extra and why he was being watched unlike the others. It was because he knew that this professor hated his metaphorical guts, being an avid believer in the anti-monster movement.

If he didn't need this class to graduate, he would've dropped out upon learning who would be teaching it. Since that wasn't an option though, he was instead determined to earn an A in this class by outperforming everyone else, doing well enough that not even this racist bastard could give him anything less. It was why he put more hours in than anyone else in practice and worked hard to nail any part given to him, no matter how small. He was just lucky that the others had insisted that he be Rebecca's understudy since many of them had been in classes with him before and knew how well he could dance. If he got anything less than an A- on his midterm performance, he'd find whoever he had to in order to get that grade overturned.

As the half hour mark passed, Lust watched as all of the other dancers were told they could go, assuming that meant him as well. Big mistake. "And where the hell do you think you're going?" The professor snapped at him, earning a withering look from the skeleton.

"Home, like everyone else."

"You can't leave yet, there's still work to be done!" he insisted, only to get a scoff from Lust.

"And you can't seriously expect me to stay and work my ass off to finish the work when you let everyone else go! That's blatant discrimination!" he shouted back, already looking for a door he could run and dip out of. Despite teaching a dance class, Lust's professor was not the fittest individual and certainly wouldn't be fast enough to catch him.

However he clearly wasn't intending on chasing Lust anywhere. "Might be, but you have nothing to prove it. Look, I'll make you a deal. You stay and finish up the rest of the cleaning and I'll bump your midterm performance grade from a B to a B+."

"Bullshit! That performance was worth an A! I worked my ass off to nail that part when your little floozy tripped over her two left feet, I deserve that grade!"

"You deserve whatever I give you, you filthy monster," he spat back, clearly agitated by the skeleton's comment towards his favourite student. "Fine, if it'll get you to shut up and finish the work, A-. Take it or leave it."

He wanted so badly to tell him off, to take his bullshit grading and discrimination and shove it right up his ass, but he couldn't. "Fine, I'll stay," he relented in a defeated tone, not reacting at the pat on the shoulder he got from the professor and instead burying his urge to snap at him. He knew he was weak, he knew that he didn't have a backbone when he needed one, but he'd grown so used to accepting how the world worked that he could never find the courage to fight against it. He was a monster in the world of humans, he was less than them, undeserving of so many of the freedoms and privileges the humans all took for granted. This was how the world worked, and he was too much of a coward to challenge it.

In a desperate attempt to not keep the gang waiting any longer than necessary, the purple skeleton pushed himself to finish the work faster than ever before, grumbling to himself every time the professor added something to his to-do list. Another twenty minutes passed before he finally finished it all, catching the smug bastard's smirk as Lust went to grab his stuff and head out.

"I've already locked up all the main doors, so you'll have to head out the back door," he commented, his briefcase in hand as he went to one of the closer doors. Any cries of protest to unlock one of the closer doors for him went ignored as the professor simply went out a nearby door and locked it shut behind him, the telltale click making it so that Lust didn't even try.

Grabbing his stuff, he headed for the back door, an emergency exit about a five minute walk from the main entrance that served as a point of exit for two other buildings in addition to the one he was in now. The door was set to always open from the inside, never the outside, allowing students studying or practicing late into the night when other doors locked to have a way out when they were done. It always seemed stupid to the skeleton to have such a system in place in the performing arts part of campus, where students often stayed late for one reason or another, but it wasn't like he was in a position to change it. Instead he simply put his headphones on since he figured that he could at least enjoy some music on the roughly ten minute walk it would take to get to the front doors where his friends were hopefully still waiting. He felt so bad for keeping them so late, but given how all of them were monsters and had suffered racism at some point or another, he hoped that they would be understanding. Besides, they all knew how much of a dick his professor was.

The walk to the door wasn't too eventful, the dancer having to step over equipment in some spots and mostly just weave through corridors that he'd walked through several times before. It was almost peaceful, the music helping him to relax after the stress of the past hour. It's what made the bad feeling in his chest all the more noticeable as he finally got to the door. The closer he got, the stronger the feeling of trepidation got, as if something was telling him to not go out that door, to instead circle back around and try to find another exit in one of the three buildings. "This is stupid," he muttered to himself, shaking the feeling off of him and instead heading for the door.

Lust really wished he hadn't opened it. The back door opened up to the lower level of a parkade, this one for the most part being void of vehicles as many students and staff had already gone home to enjoy the weekend. While the lack of cars was to be expected, the half dozen grown men certainly wasn't. This must've been what his instincts were warning him about, as all of them had a vibe to them that made Lust want to back up and get out of there. So he did back up... right into the back door that had closed and locked behind him.

All of them looked like the kind of sleazy humans that not even their own kind wanted to be anywhere near. From left to right, Lust found himself picking out something distinguishing about their appearance so that he could keep track of them mentally. The redheaded boy with freckles became Ginger, the large black man beside him was simply Black. He knew that was a pretty racist name to give him, but right now he didn't really care about being politically correct, plus it was only in his thoughts so there was no real harm. Moving on, the next guy was wearing a wife-beater tank top and ripped jeans, becoming Trash as he screamed trailer park trash to the skeleton. One of them was smoking a cigarette and clearly didn't have a care in the world, being given the name Smoker. Of the two remaining, one was a string bean of a man, getting the nickname Skinny. That left the last one, looking like the kind of guy that wore his hat backwards because he thought it made him look gangster. So his name was Idiot, simply because Lust wanted it to be.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Trash sneered, his beady eyes suddenly making Lust very self-conscious of his revealing clothing.

Black stepped closer, making the purple skeleton instinctively back away. "Looks like the tip we got about a hot young monster coming out this way wasn't wrong boys."

"What?" While his voice started feeble, it quickly grew in strength as he realized who the only person that could've given that tip would be. "Are you serious?! That bastard sold me out?!"

"Woah! Looks like this kitten's got some claws!" Idiot snickered, licking his lips as his eyes scanned over his body. "What do you guys think? Should we see what all the hype about monsters is about?"

Hype? Once again it didn't take him long to figure out what they meant. He'd read somewhere about monsters of both genders being raped and abducted to be sold off into slavery, with the cops paying little attention to it, simply because it was monsters and not humans. That's why these men were here, they planned to have their way with him before dragging him off somewhere to be sold like a piece of meat. If they succeeded, then he'd never see his friends again, never complete his dream of becoming a world class dancer. His life as he knew it would be over.

The switch in tracks on his phone snapped him out of his terrified and spiralling thoughts, grabbing his attention as he realized what it was. It was one of the songs from his capoeira classes, one that he'd recorded for the purpose of solo practice outside of the classes. Maybe Geno had been more right than he'd realized, as simply hearing that song filled him with more courage in the face of this terrifying situation than he could've sworn he ever had. He already found himself shrugging off his bag and getting into a fighting stance that had been ingrained in him over the past three years. "You wanna see claws? I'll show you some fucking claws," he growled, determined to not go down without a fight. If he proved to be more hassle than he was worth, then maybe they'd back off and decide to find some other target instead. No, he wouldn't give up his life that easily.

The men only laughed at his sudden burst of confidence, not taking him seriously in the slightest. Trash was the next one to step forward, though this time Lust didn't retreat. He held his ground and his glare, finding his weight already shifting in his feet to let him move at a moment's notice. While his training would only give him so much in a real fight, it didn't mean that he couldn't fight dirty. Honour would have to take a back seat, this fight was life or death essentially so he didn't have any time to fight by the proper rules he was taught.

That's why when Trash got close enough, aiming to touch his cheek, his hand lashed out and went for the eyes. He didn't have fingernails, so instead he simply dug his fingers in even harder as he raked them across the guy's eyes, grinning as blood leaked from the claw marks. As the man let out a howl in pain, the others looked to each other in shock before turning to look at Lust in anger, but he was already running. Against six men at once, he honestly didn't stand a chance, so he needed to get out of this damn parkade.

The dancer could outrun his professor easily. These men were surprisingly a different story. Ginger and Skinny were far leaner than the rest, Skinny easily able to sprint after him and tackle him to the ground while the other stood by to make sure there was no escape for the skeleton. Gritting his teeth, he flailed about his fist in a desperate attempt to hit something important. When that didn't work and both arms were restrained, the skeleton opted instead to slam his forehead into his attacker's nose. The man's scream combined with the crunch of the cartilage served to temporarily disable him, both of the man's hands flying to his now broken nose which left Lust free to wiggle out from underneath him.

Seeing his buddy screaming in pain, Ginger moved to grab the purple skeleton, but he was ready. Since he was already on the ground, it wasn't hard for him to grab a fistful of dirt and spray it into the guy's eyes. The redhead stumbled back, cursing and wiping at his watery eyes to try to get the dirt out.

Unfortunately any lead he'd managed to get on the others had been ruined trying to deal with these two, all four rushing towards him in an attempt to stop him from getting away. Seeing the perfect chance to put some of his training to work, Lust shifted his weight to one hand before kicking up at the groin of the nearest person, which happened to be Idiot, and using his momentum to push himself up and onto his feet. The faux gangster clearly hadn't been expecting it, doubling over in pain before Lust's momentum pushed him onto his back.

The others weren't giving him a chance to rest though, as Black threw a fist aimed right at his head that the purple skeleton only barely managed to pull back from in order to avoid. The large man was built like a tank, making him by far the hardest one to deal with and the one Lust was most afraid of. Smoker had already moved behind him, making it impossible to get out of this by running. He'd have to make a hole by going after the weaker of the two.

Capoeira in practice was a fluid martial art, forcing the practitioner to keep up momentum and constantly move from one movement to the next. It was easier to chain kicks together if the body was already moving in the right direction, so that's how they were taught to fight. With his practice music still playing through his headphones, Lust let the familiar rhythm carry his movements as he turned to face Smoker instead of Black.

The skeleton spread his legs out for balance before taking his back leg and throwing it in a wide spinning kick, fully expecting it to not connect. Smoker could clearly see his movement coming from a mile away, stepping back to avoid the kick only for another one to immediately follow it. Spinning like a top, Lust immediately bounced from one foot to the next to keep spinning forward, able to keep going and keep pushing the man backwards. Eventually the guy simply stepped to the side, Lust smirking as he planted his hand on the ground in order to shift the direction of his momentum, continuing to pursue him.

If this was one of his practice fights, Lust would be doing well by making his opponent continue to retreat as he continued to chase them with a variety of acrobatic techniques. Unfortunately, this wasn't a practice fight, this was a real one, and his opponents had no sense of honour. Trash came out of nowhere, tackling him in the midst of his attack on Smoker. With his balance so askew from his motions, Lust collapsed onto the ground with the man practically on top of him, his headphones and the music he'd been using for motivation sent skittering away along with his phone that could've been used to call for help. He didn't waste a beat though and began kicking and screaming just as he'd done when Skinny had tackled him, but Trash was a lot stronger and made a point of keeping his nose out of range of the skeleton's skull. Before long Black came lumbering up, effectively pinning his top half while the dancer's screams of anger changed to desperate pleas for help, praying that someone was out there and would come to his rescue while the other four men circled around him.

Tears poured down his face as his purple eye lights darted between the five faces gathered in front of him, feeling the arms holding his top half shift as several sets of hands advanced. He could barely hear the bickering among them as to who got to go first and who got what hole, trying his best to block it out while screaming his throat raw for help. His flailing legs were reduced to merely wiggling about in a vain attempt to escape and retaliate, a couple of the men moving to hold them while Trash butted his way to the front and reached out with hungry eyes. Hands tore at his jacket, ripping the bright fabric before going for his crop top. The material gave way easily, leaving his ribcage and spine completely bare. While he typically had no problem with showing off his body, he had limits and this had crossed them long ago. He felt naked, exposed, violated, and vulnerable. The worst part was how he knew they'd only started.

A chill ran through his ribs that sent a shudder down his spine, the men all hollering at the sight while Lust turned his head away in a vain attempt to escape this horrid situation in even the slightest bit. Desperate for an escape, Lust tried to think of whatever might work now that physical combat was out of the question. Could he use magic? No, Lust primarily only used his magic to summon ecto bodies for clothing, nothing offensive, especially since offensive magic would all be stopped by the magic suppression system. Well... he did have one thing he could do, but to do so would break a promise he'd made to himself over a decade ago. Did he really have no choice but to break that vow? If it was the only thing that could save him from being raped and abducted, then maybe... His internal debate was cut short as Trash started fiddling with the hem of his jeans, clearly eager to get the tight fitting denim off of him. This was it, he either had to break his vow or pray for a miracle to show up and save him.

That miracle made itself known not even a second later, one glowing red eye light suddenly materializing behind the guy trying to take his pants off. All Lust could see from his position was a large shadow with something like a stick raised above their head, the stick-like object crashing down moments later into the top of Trash's skull. The man's eyes instantly rolled up into the back of his head, his limp body collapsing onto the skeleton's lap.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The stranger asked in an amused and yet pissed voice, echoing Trash's words from the very beginning of this whole nightmare. All the others backed off, Black even letting Lust go in favour of backing off from the newcomer. All the dancer could do was huddle in fear and hope that they weren't here for him as well.

The stranger started walking forward, stepping into the light enough that all of them could see his features clearly. He was another skeleton, one blood red eye light peering at them while a crooked smile that sent a chill down Lust's spine was plastered across his face. They looked pretty normal, wearing a jean jacket that covered a tacky plaid shirt and added too much denim to the outfit when combined with the stressed jeans he wore. The weird thing was, the purple skeleton honestly thought he pulled it off despite wearing what he'd normally consider to be fashion faux pas... was he seriously judging the guy's clothes at a time like this? Focus Lust, focus! That mental command to pay attention only served to highlight the tire iron gripped tightly in his hand, the one end splattered with fresh crimson that undoubtedly came from Trash. Dear god, this was the most terrifying miracle ever!

The lithe skeleton froze as that single red eye darted over to look at him, the skeleton's features softening just a bit before hardening as he turned back to the five remaining men. "So, you think it's a lot of fun to scare the shit out of someone? You think it's a great idea to gang up on someone half your size and virtually defenceless, to corner them and attack them when they have nowhere to go? Pathetic," he spat, lazily spinning the tire iron in his grip. "I've dealt with a lot of scum before, and you're no different. You wanna gang up on someone? Why don't you try me on for size?" The skeleton spread his arms wide, openly inviting the gang to attack him. Was he insane?!

The other men seemed to share Lust's thoughts on the newcomer, all of them laughing, albeit some of them doing so hesitantly. Black stepped up, being physically the biggest and most intimidating. The crazy skeleton made no move to even defend himself as the musclebound man threw a punch at him, Lust flinching and squeezing his eyes shut as he expected to hear the sickening crunch of bone.

What he instead heard were gasps and cries of outrage from the other men assembled, opening his eyes only to see the other skeleton lazily holding back Black's fist as if it were nothing. The human was clearly putting his weight into the punch, yet the stranger merely grinned as he started twisting the arm effortlessly. This left Black wide open as he struggled to pull his arm away, the skeleton taking that opportunity to deliver several hard whacks with the piece of metal in his grip. One connected with his arm, everyone flinching at the sound of the bones breaking from the impact. Before the man could even scream however, another hit to his ribs created another sickening crunch, the taller skeleton merely grinning through the whole thing as he delivered the final blow to the man's temple. Black hit the ground within seconds.

"Well, that was fun... who's next?" The crazy skeleton asked, sounding almost deranged as he turned his attention to the four remaining attackers. All of them shuffled back, looking to each other nervously. They had a choice to either run together or fight together. The second the stranger took a step towards them, they all decided to run. The skeleton blinked a couple times in surprise before laughing like a madman. "You seriously think I'll let you fuckers get away?! After what you did to him?! No, you'll all pay with your fucking heads!"

Lust was stunned by the declaration made as the other skeleton chased after the four remaining men, finally pushing Trash's body off of him and kicking it away, throwing in a few extra kicks just to make himself feel better before sliding away. Was that other monster really doing this all because of him? If that was the case, then he had to guess his motivation was either helping a fellow monster out or an extreme dislike of human trash or rapists. The second one seemed more reasonable given the circumstances, as helping him wouldn't require chasing them down and brutally beating their heads in with a... oh god... All it took was one look in the general direction of the screams he could now hear to feel completely sick, turning over and closing his eyes to not look at the grotesque mess the other was making in the abandoned corner of the parkade he'd chased them to. There was so much blood, and the screams, god the screams wouldn't stop. The dancer moved to block out as much of the sound as he could, not sure if he honestly wanted the screams to stop since he knew what it would mean.

Eventually the screams came to an end, an eerie silence filling the parkade in its place. Too scared to look, Lust chose to stay curled up in a ball, quietly sobbing to himself and praying that he wasn't escaping one nightmare to end up in another one. With only one person still standing it was easy to tell who was causing the sound of slow, methodical footsteps towards the terrified dancer, each one causing him to flinch before they eventually stopped right behind him.

He waited for something to happen, his entire body tense and ready to move at a moment's notice. That notice came in the form of a hand touching his shoulder, the smaller skeleton letting out a panicked yelp as he frantically scooted away, holding his arms protectively in front of his bare chest. What he wasn't expecting was how the other made no move to pursue him, staying where he'd originally knelt down. The stranger almost looked a little hurt by his action but quickly brushed it off, sending his a soft smile as he slowly and very carefully took off his jacket. "You're shaking, are you cold?" He gently asked, his voice holding none of the anger or madness from before. It was actually quite soft, surprising the purple skeleton as the taller monster in front of him covered in blood splatters hadn't seemed like someone capable of being so nice when he initially came to Lust's rescue. "Here, take my jacket, you clearly need it right now more than me."

A shaky hand stretched out to take the piece of denim, snatching it back to him the second his fingers made contact. His jumpy behaviour didn't seem to upset the taller anymore though, the other skeleton instead patiently moving to sit cross legged on the ground across from him. It gave the dancer enough confidence to slip on the jacket, instantly snuggling into the warmth that still lingered as he became aware of just how cold he'd gotten laying on the pavement of the parkade for so long. "T-Thanks," he mumbled out, still not quite sure if he could trust him. Something inside him wanted to, but he just couldn't yet bring himself to.

"No problem, I'm just glad I got here when I did. You're not hurt are you? They better not have hurt you." While he'd started out sounding quite happy, his voice had quickly dropped back to the one tinged with fury. In his current mental state it was enough to freak Lust out a bit.

"N-No I'm fine! T-They didn't really hurt me, they just..."

"Scared you?" He gave a nod as he retreated further into the jacket, those terrifying minutes before the stranger's intervention replaying in his head. "Well, it's good that you're not hurt, otherwise I'd actually have to kill those bastards."

"Wait, they're still alive?" He meekly asked, not sure whether or not he was happy about that.

"Yeah, at least I think so. I might've hit some of them too hard in the head, but I'm sure they'll survive. I can quickly change that if you want."

"No! Oh god no! Please, just..." More tears poured from his sockets as he just wanted to get out of here. He wanted to go meet his friends and have some fun with them, try to forget this and instead focus on how amazing his performance had gone. But he knew that no matter how much he tried, the night would forever be tainted with all of the shit that came afterwards. "I just wanna see my friends," he cried, breaking down in tears and further curling in on himself, essentially burying his head in his knees as he continued to sob.

From his curled up position, Lust never noticed when the other skeleton got up and moved to sit right beside him. An arm hesitantly wrapped around him, the smaller stiffening at the unfamiliar contact before finding himself craving the comfort of the simple gesture. Before he even realized it he was sobbing on the taller's shoulder, clinging to him while the stranger's arms wrapped around him. The other skeleton began rubbing little circles in his back in an effort to help him calm down, Lust continuing to wail for some time before it actually started to help.

A solid ten minutes passed before he ran out of tears to shed, hiccupping and sniffling as he continued to cling to the taller skeleton. The stranger had been silent the entire time, focusing on offering him comfort and support while he cried his eyes out. "Are you feeling a little better now?" The taller asked quietly, earning a nod in response. "Come on, why don't I take you back to your friends? They were starting to get worried when I left."

"Wait, you know my friends?" He asked in surprise, finally tearing his flushed face away from the stranger's now soaked shoulder to look at him.

He gave a small laugh in return, scratching a bit at his cheek. "Yeah actually, your friend Ink invited me to come see you dance in the hopes that he could set you up with me."

Now Lust was giggling a bit too, covering his mouth a bit as he smiled. "Really? Ink's given me some really strange blind dates before, but this one probably has to take the cake."

"To be fair, my brother is his boyfriend, and he dragged me along since Ink asked him for help and I was the only one available."

"Well, I'm certainly glad that you were available, otherwise I might not have ever seen my friends again." The thought was still quite a sobering one, but thankfully the stranger pulled him to his feet before he could really lose himself in that terrifying what-if scenario. "By the way, I have absolutely no idea what your name is," he pointed out, about thirty seconds away from mentally naming him Hero.

"Oh, yeah I guess I never did tell you that," he chuckled, moving to support Lust since he was still quite shaky. "The name's Horror." While the name certainly wasn't a pleasant one, Lust had never been one to judge people strictly by names considering what his name was and what it often stood for.

"Well, nice to properly meet you Horror, my name's Lust."

"You know I know that right? Ink told me a bit about you so I'd know who to pay attention to during the dance."

"Shut up, I know. Let me have my chance to properly introduce myself though," he playfully complained, having Horror help him back over to his bag that he'd discarded at the beginning of the mess as well as his phone that had been knocked out of his pocket when he'd been tackled.

Horror only laughed at his comment before helping him gather his things and leave the parkade, a place that Lust would probably never want to enter ever again. "You danced beautifully, by the way."

"Really? Thanks." The simple comment filled with him with a surprising amount of happiness, a warm violet blush spreading across his cheeks as the pair walked the five minutes to the front of the building. "Now if only I could fight as well as I danced," he sighed, once again being reminded of just how weak he was.

"Hey, I don't think you did too badly. I noticed that you went for the eyes on all of them for the most part, which was a great move. Breaking that guy's nose was actually really good, how did you do it?"

"With my forehead," he admitted sheepishly, feeling slightly embarrassed as he said it out loud.

Horror merely laughed softly, rubbing his shoulder for support. "Hey, don't be embarrassed, that proved that you could think on your feet. Honestly considering the odds were against you from the beginning you did really well. If someone taught you how to properly fight in a brawl like that, I'm sure you could handle yourself fine."

The two of them continued to talk for a bit longer before they came in sight of the others, the bulk of them racing towards him with worried expressions on their faces and only Geno and Cross taking a bit longer due to the wheelchair. "Lust what happened? We were so worried, you were taking forever to show up!" Blue commented, his starry eyes taking note of the strange jacket he was wearing. "Um, why are you wearing that?"

That simple question was enough to have him bawling again, his friends moving to surround him in hugs as Horror took a step back to be with another skeleton he recognized as Error, the skeleton he'd helped set up a date between him and Ink. Guess those two were official now.

As Lust slowly managed to blubber out the story of what had almost happened to him, the looks of worry on the others' faces changed to looks of shock, fear, and anger. Cross looked ready to storm back there and kill the bastards until Horror chimed in that he'd already beaten him to the punch. Blue, Ink, and Dream had moved him to sit on the nearby steps, helping him calm down as best as they could while Sci looked on fearfully. And then there was Geno, an unreadable expression on his face when Lust finally looked up at his uncharacteristic silence. "Geno? What's wrong?"

Instead of answering his question, the scarfed skeleton turned to Sci. "I need your laptop."

The sudden attention startled the bespectacled skeleton a bit before he turned to address the request. "Okay first, how do you know I have it? And second, why do you need it?"

"Because you always have it and I need to make sure that this never happens to him again." A hand shot out expectantly, with Sci reluctantly handing it over and making a comment to not do anything illegal. Geno made no comment in response, instead diving into work on whatever idea he'd concocted up.

"Geno, you better not be stressing yourself out too much," Dream warned, shooting him a serious look as the golden skeleton had somehow managed to get their stubborn friend to promise not to overdo it while helping out for the next while. Sure it had been specifically involving the suicide scare since Geno had put himself back in the chair because of how worked up he got, but apparently Dream planned to use that promise to keep tabs on the scarfed skeleton for as long as he could.

"Relax, I'm not doing anything too stressful, just making sure that Lust gets the justice he deserves and that Horror isn't blamed for anything." He turned the screen around, though all the dancer saw was a messy jumble of windows and gibberish code. He didn't even try to comprehend it considering Geno was a genius when it came to coding. Whatever he was doing probably would be well beyond whatever Lust could understand and possibly slightly illegal.

Sci was about the only person that could understand any of what Geno ever did when he started doing stuff like this, the scientist peering over his shoulder only to start freaking out. "I told you nothing illegal! You're messing with security camera footage! That has to be ill-" He was cut off as Cross suddenly silenced him, shooting him a look that everyone knew was a warning to not scream what their friend was currently doing to the entire world.

"What... exactly are you doing?" Lust hesitantly asked, figuring he had a shot of getting an answer since this was being done for him.

The scarfed skeleton looked up for a second before getting back to work, smirking as he continued. "First off I'm deleting any incriminating footage with Horror present, making it seem like these guys were smart enough to kill security feeds right before doing what they had planned. And since you said that your professor was likely the bastard that set you up in this whole mess..." He then turned the screen back around to show off his finished work. The edited footage showed his professor at the scene during all of this happening, looking as seamless as if he'd actually been there. Right when Horror came into the mess, the cameras all cut out, but a split second before made it look like his prof had been the one to kill the feed. When the cameras came back online the evidence of Horror's handiwork was clear, and somehow edited to replace the skeleton with his garbage prof. "I took the footage of your prof from old footage so they likely won't notice that it's spliced in. Still have to go through nearby security cameras and edit out any footage that has him during the same time, but-"

"Not with my laptop you aren't!" Sci yelled as he swiped the device back, glaring at their chair bound friend who merely shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know why I trust you with my stuff anymore, you're gonna get me put on some watch list if I don't end up in jail."

"Oh come on, I made sure there's absolutely no way to trace the edits back to your computer. Just make sure to close everything down and probably restart it just to be sure. I'll just make the final edits and checks on my computer at home I guess." The scientist merely glared as he made a point of shutting everything down before storing the computer, still clearly upset that Geno used his precious laptop in such a way.

Lust was still baffled by what his friend had just done for him, looking to him wide eyed. "Geno, you just did all of that... for me?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" He responded nonchalantly, not seeing any problem in his actions. "The police would've gone looking for Horror and possibly you if they found a bunch of humans beat up and the only other two people at the scene were two monsters. Even if the footage showed you about to be raped, there would still be a disgustingly high chance of the police charging you with assault if they couldn't find a culprit. I can do some more digging and see if I can tie the professor to those guys legitimately, but now he'll be their prime suspect. It might not be enough to convict him, but I'm sure it'll at least get him to back off of you if he isn't fired or suspended because of this. At the very least, I'll make sure that he's too scared to ever target you again."

As his friend laid out his plan to spare him both from being a suspect and to get his insane professor away from him, the dancer couldn't help but burst into tears again, these ones at least far happier. "Thank you Geno, I honestly don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you, like any of you, but I'm so grateful that I've got you all."

That seemed to put a smile on everyone's face, Blue jumping up from his side with plenty of energy. "Well then, I say we need to go out and have some fun! You don't need to do your work on this right away, do you Geno?" He asked, all of them simply accepting that their friend was going to continue setting this up to protect Lust even if it was illegal. After all, in a world controlled by humans, monsters needed to look out for themselves. When Blue got a shake of his head in response, the energetic skeleton only got more excited. "Then I think what we need to do is have some late night fun! After all, we still need to celebrate how amazing you were on that stage!"

"One of the shopping malls is still open for a few hours," Dream piped up, practically feeding off of Blue's energy as he got to his feet as well. "We could go do some shopping and get you something else cute to replace the clothes that those guys wrecked."

"Yeah! And once we're done there we can go grab dinner!" Ink chimed in, standing up and pulling Lust up with him. "And you're definitely not paying for anything tonight!"

Cross was the next to throw a suggestion, surprisingly into it despite usually being one of the calmest in the bunch. "We've all got transit passes too, so there's nothing saying we can't got out for a couple drink after dinner too."

"You guys," Lust sighed, smiling despite the tears rolling down his cheeks. "You really are the best."

"Well, sounds like you've all got a fun night ahead of you," Error cut in, Horror standing next to him. "I think we'll head home then, don't want to intrude on your night after all." Ink went to complain until he was silenced by a cute little kiss, Blue and Dream squealing in the background while Lust was happy he had a hand in those two getting together. "It'll be fine Ink, we'll hang out another night, go hang with your friends. They need you right now more than I do."

With that the two groups started to separate, each heading a different direction until Lust realized that he was still wearing Horror's jacket. "Horror, wait!" He called out, running over to speak to the other skeleton for a minute as he stopped. "Um... thanks again for saving me, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up when you did. Did you want your jacket back? I could ask Cross about borrowing his maybe, or maybe Ink has something stashed in his impossibly full bag that I could use."

The other simply shook his head, stilling the dancer's hands as he started moving to take it off. "Nah, you keep it for now. I'll take it as my excuse to see you again sometime in order to get it back. Maybe then we can have that proper date Ink wanted to set us up on~" In one quick move, Lust's hand was gently held in Horror's the taller skeleton bending down to place a gentle kiss on the back of it. All Lust could do was blush a vibrant purple as Horror let go with a wink, waving goodbye as he walked off to catch up with his brother.

The purple skeleton stood there in almost a daze for a bit before the sudden presence of his friends crowded around him snapped him out of it. All it took was for him to turn around with his face still lit up for Ink to start celebrating and muttering something about 'I ship it', while Blue and Dream started grumbling. Not having a clue what was going on, he merely chuckled and shook his head at his crazy friends before following them towards what sounded like a really fun night of celebration. His friends might've been absolutely crazy sometimes, but they really were the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lust needs hugs. And some new clothes.


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was brought to you in part by r/entitledparents.
> 
> This chapter contains mild blood and violence, please be advised if you're sensitive to these themes.

Cross looked to the slightly cloudy sky, feeling the crisp winds of fall blow gently by his skull and watching as the leaves were slowly being pulled off of their branches while he walked behind Geno's chair. The pair were taking a walk through the park per the scarfed skeleton's request, saying that they needed to get out and enjoy some fresh air before it got too cold, and they could even enjoy the colourful trees while they were at it before the land became buried in snow. While his brother's health was getting better and he could walk around the apartment by himself with his cane, long distances still required the chair. So it had been a necessary evil for their walk outside.

"Told you this was what we needed," Geno said, turning a bit to look over at the taller skeleton with a smile. "This fresh air is absolutely great. We really need to fix the circulation in our apartment."

"Yeah, but stuff like that costs money-"

"Which isn't a problem and you know it," the smaller pointed out, earning a sigh from the monochrome skeleton. Geno's hacking went well beyond what he'd done for Lust, which had turned out exactly as planned. That professor had lost his tenure and been fired by the university after allegations of sexual assault and murder started to circulate, with someone far less racist in the department taking over his classes for the rest of the semester.

No, his brother had seen to it that the two of them were financially secure throughout their degree, operating in a moral grey area by stealing the money from other thieves and criminals. It was tough security, but nothing that could slow the scarfed skeleton down. Still, Cross didn't like relying on that money and tried to avoid unnecessary expenses so that one day they didn't bite off more than they could chew. "I know, I know, but you know how I feel about that kind of stuff. I've got nothing against who we get it from, but I just don't want you getting yourself in hot water one of these days. As you've told me before, all it takes is one little mistake that you don't catch and our metaphorical asses are toast."

"Are you doubting my skills? Honestly, I'm hurt," the smaller teased, smirking at him. "I know for a fact my other brother doesn't doubt me, guess that makes him my new favourite."

As if on cue CC appeared, hovering next to Cross but remaining invisible to everyone except the monochrome skeleton since they weren't alone in the park. "I'm the favourite? Sweet!"

"Shut up you pest," he growled, swatting at the ghostly child while Geno only laughed despite being unable to hear CC. "Okay, I'll think about it, see if I can find a decently priced option that won't make it so that you have to do some more 'work' to pay for it." That seemed to appease the smaller, the now three brothers wandering in relative silence for a bit and simply enjoying being outside for a bit.

The silence honestly made him think about how uncharacteristically quiet their lives had been recently. Ever since Lust's dance performance and the party they'd had that night, the brothers had been seeing less and less of their friends. Ink was off with his boyfriend, Dream was bouncing between therapy and Killer, Blue and Sci were both running off with new 'friends' that they'd made, and Lust had started hanging out with Horror after meeting up with him to return his jacket. The thing that bothered him was how CC had confirmed three of the five of them to be daemons, with the other two unidentified simply because they hadn't met them yet.

"Hey Gen, remember those three guys I told you about, the ones that belonged to a certain club?" He asked, speaking in code since they were in public. The last thing they needed was a hunter happening to overhear that they knew about daemons.

"Yeah, I remember. You were wondering why they seemed to be drawn to our friends, right?" He gave a noise of confirmation, the smaller sighing and looking to the sky. "Well... did you by chance consider that it was meant to be?" Another code, this one meaning that Geno was implying they were soulmates.

"Are you serious?!" He blurted out, only to sheepishly laugh as his outburst drew the attention of some onlookers. Deciding that this conversation needed more privacy, he looked around and managed to find a more secluded part of the park where nobody currently was. "Okay, what the hell? You seriously think that our friends could be soulmates for daemons?" He asked incredulously, still keeping his voice low as a precaution despite CC keeping his guard up so that they could have a private conversation.

Geno sighed as he scooted himself out of the chair, Cross helping him to sit on the ground since he clearly wanted out of the contraption for even a little bit. "I don't know, but it's the only think I can think of. Think about it. If those three are daemons, then they wouldn't typically be so openly flirty or protective of any random stranger. They spend their entire lives looking for their soulmates and proceed to devote everything to them afterwards. Horror saving Lust, Killer jumping after Dream, and according to Ink he met Error by getting yanked out of the way of a speeding car." The scarfed skeleton trailed off, his eyebrows knitted together as something was clearly bugging him.

CC noticed it too, taking a solid form that Geno could see and hear him since they were alone. "Yo, Gen, what's up? You look like you just imagined someone shitting in your cereal."

"Seriously?" Cross looked to his brother in disgust, his lips curling back a bit at the mental image. "Did you seriously just say that? What is wrong with you?"

"Many things, do you want that list alphabetized or ordered from least to most disturbing?"

"Forget it," he grumbled, ignoring the victorious smirk on the ghost's face as he turned to face Geno. "Horrible analogy aside, he's right. What's bugging you?"

The scarfed skeleton looked to the two of them for a bit before sighing, returning his gaze to the grass he was absentmindedly pulling out of the ground. "It's... that Error guy. Something about him, it just doesn't sit right with me. I don't know what it is, but..."

"Maybe it's because he's a glitch like you?" He offered, having noticed the subtle glitch pattern on the other skeleton. Glitches, like daemons, were a rare breed of monster hunted to the verge of extinction. The one strength the race had was that they were notoriously hard to identify, even more so than daemons. It was how the few surviving of their numbers had hidden, with their characteristic glitching often being difficult to tell apart from aesthetic or birth defects to most. Cross was only able to notice it because Geno had taught him how to identify a glitch, which is probably how the glitched daemon had no fear of walking about in his monster form. Those ERROR signs floating around him, just like Geno's eye glitch, were actually the marks of their nature as glitches rather than simple aesthetic effects.

His knowledge of glitches told them that, like daemons in a way, they had two states; stable and unstable. Stable glitches were nearly impossible to identify as their glitches wouldn't move or change, making them seem like a part of their usual structure. It was when a glitch became unstable that their bodies would begin to shift and change in response to the stimulus that triggered the instability. While they were most noticeable in their unstable state though, it was when glitches were at their strongest, their bodies no longer responding to the rules of nature properly and instantaneously adapting to try to survive whatever situation they were in that destabilized them. The rules of nature that were defied were different for each glitch, being dependent on the first stimulus that caused them to destabilize, their trigger.

"Maybe." Geno's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality, looking to see the smaller skeleton typing notes into his phone to write down later. "After all, a daemon glitch hybrid has the potential to be incredibly dangerous, though it's all dependent on what his trigger was."

CC flipped himself upside down in midair, his hair falling out of his eyes for once. "Well, isn't that a good thing in a way? I mean if he's Ink's soulmate, then that means that whatever insane strength the guy must have would be used to keep him safe and take care of him. I mean he feels pretty powerful to me, not on the same level as the guy from the forest but fairly close."

"Have you caught any trace of that guy since then?" Geno asked, earning a shake of the ghost's head. "Probably for the best honestly. We really don't need someone that strong getting involved in things if it can be helped. But you do have a point, Ink would be safe with Error from practically anything, but that doesn't change my fears that our friend is getting a giant target painted on his back because of who his boyfriend is."

The scarfed skeleton had a fair point as any daemon's biggest weakness was their soulmate, earning a sigh from Cross. "So much for a relaxing trip to the park, sorry for bringing it up," he half joked.

"Don't worry about it, you knew that we were gonna end up talking about it at some point. At least here I can relax in the shade and lie in the grass for a bit." As he said that, Geno carefully leaned back into the shade a nearby tree was throwing, the leaves crunching underneath as he waved his feet around a bit while folding his arms up under his head and closing his eye. "One thing that I can't help but wonder is if they're all part of the same group of daemons. Horror and Error clearly are, and I think Killer is likely with them too since there seemed to be a familiarity between him and Horror."

"That would mean that forest guy is part of the group too, right? Since I felt him right around Killer when we were heading to Dream," CC piped up with that little tidbit, earning a groan from Cross.

"Well, that's just great. The one guy we wanted to avoid dealing with is wrapped up with the soulmates of three of our friends."

"You act like our luck is typically good or something," CC countered, earning a snort from their scarfed brother. Before Cross could come up with something to say back, the ghost went rigid as his head suddenly looked on a particular direction. "Heads up, a couple humans heading our way. Normies I think." Following his warning, CC's physical form vanished, preventing the approaching humans from seeing him.

Geno was the first of the two of them to react, sitting up and shifting towards the chair, with the taller skeleton quickly getting the hint and helping him to his feet and back into the wheelchair. Just as they managed to get him situated, a young boy came running right up to them. Since the child seemed to show no fear towards them despite the two of them being monsters, Cross figured it was worth a shot to try talking to him, figuring that the other presence CC felt was either a friend of theirs or more likely a family member that was watching him given how young he looked. "Hey little guy, can we help you with something?"

The child finally pulled his gaze away from the scarfed skeleton to the one that addressed him, staring at him with wide, curious eyes. "Can I have that?" He asked, pointing at the wheelchair. "It looks like fun, I want my mommy to push me around in it."

The brothers shared a look between each other before Geno gave of a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, but this wheelchair is mine. I need it in order to move around, so I'm afraid you can't use it."

"But your legs can move," the boy pointed out, likely having either noticed Geno getting into the chair or his slight fidgeting. "If your legs can move then you can walk right? So give me that."

Since his brother being nice clearly wasn't going to cut it, Cross decided to intervene, stepping between the child and the chair-bound skeleton to make sure that the kid didn't try to pull anything. "Look kid, he already told you no. Besides, his legs aren't strong enough to walk around, so he does in fact need the chair. You can't have it, end of discussion." Admittedly he was probably a little harsher than he needed to be, but it was successful in getting the whiny brat to run away crying for his mother.

What he wasn't expecting was for a thin, silvery blond haired woman with an asymmetrical bob haircut to come storming up to them right as Cross was moving to push Geno back onto the main path, the kid following right behind her with an evil smirk. "Oh shit," he heard CC mutter, the skeleton sharing his brother's worry as both took up defensive positions in front of Geno.

"How dare you?!" The woman screeched, coming right up to Cross and jabbing a finger harshly into his chest. "How dare you disgusting monsters lay a hand on my precious angel?! I'll have you arrested for assaulting my baby!"

The monochrome skeleton backed up a bit before standing his ground, growling at the false accusation. "Lady, I never laid a hand on your brat!"

"Then why the hell did he come screaming to me about the mean monsters?!"

"Look, all I told him was that I wasn't giving him my brother's wheelchair that he needs just so he could go for a joyride!" He shouted back, now wishing that they'd managed to get back to the main path before this crazy Karen showed up, as now there was no one around to witness the insanity going on.

"He's lying Mommy," the kid whimpered, pulling off an admittedly impressive act complete with tears and everything. "The mean monster said he'd beat me if I didn't run away, he picked me up off the ground and then dropped me after yelling at me. And the other one just laughed at me and called me names!"

That story only seemed to add to the crazy as the wild Karen started running off on a tangent about how she'd get them both thrown in jail for assault or worse. "But, if you give my child the fancy chair right now, I'll consider it a decent enough apology to not press charges."

The look on her face told the two skeletons just how much she thought she'd won, and with normal monsters she might've. The justice system was already biased against monsters, and if a human accused a monster of a crime they were almost always found guilty unless concrete evidence was provided that proved otherwise. Thankfully, the two of them weren't normal monsters, and a quick glance back revealed that the scarfed skeleton was already discreetly working on his phone. Now Cross had to do his part. "Listen," he started calmly, none of the anger he'd had earlier. "My brother has a medical condition that limits his ability to walk long distances. Before you say that he can move his legs, he can. But his bones are far more frail and brittle than normal and can't take the stress applied from walking for too long. We bought that wheelchair for him from the hospital after doctor recommendation, and so it's our property. Therefore I will not simply hand over a medically necessary device simply because your child wants it and you're threatening to concoct a fake story in order to blackmail us in order to get it for him. So sorry, but no."

"In other words, fuck off bitch!" CC taunted beside him even though the woman couldn't hear him. God did Cross wish he could say that, but he had to make sure to be as polite and nonaggressive as possible... though baiting the woman a bit was totally allowed.

Thankfully she stupidly fell for it, smirking confidently as she merely laughed at his words. "You seriously think that I'll listen to some pathetic monster like you? Who will the police believe? A traumatized mother only wanting to protect her little baby, or the two monsters that claim that they're innocent? We both know that they'll find you guilty of whatever crimes I accuse you of, so hand over the damn chair before I ruin your lives," she sneered, turning her gaze directly to Geno. "Besides, what the hell are you gonna do? One of you is a fucking cripple that needs a fucking wheelchair, so it's not like you'd stand a chance."

Both sides waited in tense silence for a moment before a burst of laughter that was tinged with a dark tone echoed through the trees. The mother froze at the sound, looking fearfully at the source while Cross only smirked as he glanced back at his laughing brother. "You're right! I am a fucking cripple!" He yelled out with a smile, the child retreating behind his mother's leg while starting to genuinely cry. "But, I'm a fucking cripple with a fucking phone." As he flicked his wrist, the device was revealed with what the taller could see was a video from his close proximity. The scarfed skeleton grinned almost evilly as he pressed the play button, replaying their earlier exchange starting from when the Karen demanded the wheelchair as payment for what they 'did' to her child while threatening charges, ending right after she verbally admitted that Geno needed his wheelchair due to his crippled body. "Thanks for openly admitting that I need my chair, I'll be sure to put that admission to good use when you try to have us arrested."

The only thing the woman could give in response was a spluttered series of noises as she realized that she'd been had. Not only did she admit to the other skeleton needing the chair, shooting down any potential claims of it being a toy, she also admitted to her story essentially being false. That recording was the exact thing the skeletons needed to get out of whatever story she concocted, and they all knew it.

The child tugged on his mother's pant leg, grabbing her attention. "You told me I could have it Momma, why aren't they giving it to me?" He blubbered, the mother trying to console him and assure him that she'd get him _his_ chair.

"You're not getting it kiddo, your Momma lied to you," Cross sneered, taking a bit of joy in seeing the kid fully start crying and whining. As he started shifting back to get Geno out of there, the Karen suddenly locked onto them, now demanding the phone with the recording. "Lady, you must be off your rocker if you think we'll just hand over my brother's phone," he said, looking at the lady as if she were crazy.

He honestly wasn't expecting her to lunge at the scarfed skeleton, screaming for the phone while baring her fake nails like claws. Since the monochrome skeleton was already blocking her path, it took little effort for him to intercept the crazy woman who was still ranting about how she needed the chair, how they were evil, how she'd destroy the phone, etc. Grabbing her wrists, to keep her claws at bay, Cross effortlessly held the woman back, though he had to admit that she was definitely stronger than she looked. Seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere, she suddenly order her brat to go after Geno and his phone, the child eagerly doing so while the mother smirked. Neither of them realized that their brother had a second defender. "CC!" he called out, startling and confusing the mother.

"On it," the ghostly child affirmed as he materialized right in the child's path, sending him flying backwards before scurrying away. Despite having once been human, Cross knew that his brother despised humankind and greatly enjoyed any excuse to scare any of them to death, sometimes literally. While he normally wouldn't reveal himself like this, CC was clearly going to take full advantage of this exception to their typical rule of staying hidden. His face was twisted into a terrifying grin, taking advantage of his ghostly form to distort his visage into something not even human looking anymore. The boy or course was terrified by the sight, crawling backwards while screaming and crying. "What's wrong?" CC taunted, floating after the child at a leisurely pace. "Don't wanna take on someone your own size?"

Between the sight of the twisted ghostly child scaring her son and Cross pinning her wrists, the mother was rendered just as helpless. "Geno, get out of here!" Cross called, wanting to make sure that his vulnerable brother got somewhere safe while they were dealing with these two. From the corner of his eye he saw the scarfed skeleton nod, turning around his wheelchair and wheeling himself away as fast as he could. Geno was actually surprisingly fast in his chair from practice, so it wasn't long until he was gone from sight despite having to push over fallen leaves and rough terrain.

"Say bye-bye to your chair!" CC taunted the crying brat, snickering and holding his position enough for the child to scramble to his feet and run over to hide behind his mother. With his physical presence not really needed, the ghost's form dissolved before he hovered over to float next to Cross, ready to step in again if either of them somehow found a way around Cross.

The woman grit her teeth and glared daggers at the pair, the glare shifting to be solely on Cross as CC faded away. "You monsters think you're so clever, don't you?" She sneered, her mouth perking up a bit at the corner of her mouth before she stopped fighting against the skeleton's grip. "TYLER! GET THAT BRAT IN THE WHEELCHAIR!"

Cross flinched a bit from the volume and pitch of her voice, his mind trying to figure out what game she was playing at now. Was it a bluff to get him to let go? Even if it was, he could easily outpace the woman if necessary, so what was her plan?

All guessing went out the window as a lumbering shadow began moving through the trees in the direction that Geno went, Cross' eyes going wide in worry as the shadow started running and the little boy cheerfully piped up from behind his mother's leg. "Daddy! Daddy! Get me my chair!"

"Cross!" CC called in worry, the monochrome skeleton already letting the woman go only to growl as she turned around and grabbed hold of him. His brother reacted before he could, returning to his physical form and prying her fingers off of him. "Let go you fucking bitch!" He screamed at her before finally managing to loosen her grip enough for Cross to escape.

Cursing the precious time the bitch had cost him, the monochrome skeleton proceeded to run as fast as he could with his brother trailing right behind him as they raced to beat the shadowy figure to Geno. "Help!" The frantic call coming from their brother only made them both push themselves to move faster, knowing that the bastard had gotten to him before they could.

As they cleared a group of trees and found themselves in another secluded clearing in the park, both stopped dead in their tracks at the sight they entered in. Geno was suspended in the air by his neck, his fingers uselessly clawing at the large tan hand holding him there. The man that was apparently the Karen's husband or boyfriend only smirked at the skeleton that entered the clearing, tightening his hold marginally to elicit a pained squeak from Geno. CC did a quick fly around the man while Cross struggled to figure out what to do, coming back with a look on his face that said he was honestly kind of scared. "Ex-military, Cross be careful." Honestly the man looked the part, shaved bald and covered in tattoos and scars, wearing dog tags, a tank top and cargo pants, and the guy was built like a tank to top it all off.

But at that moment he could honestly care less. "Let him go now you bastard!" He shouted, feeling his left eye shift to form a target symbol. Reflexively he tried to summon his knives, finding that as usual the anti-magic suppression system kept him from doing so. So he went to his fallback, a real knife hidden within his clothes that he drew without hesitation.

Some humans might've been scared to see a monster wielding a weapon, but the large man only laughed. "You want me to put him down? Fine." With a fluid motion, his arm swung out before his grip on the scarfed skeleton released, Geno sent flying through the air before colliding with a nearby tree with a sickening crunch. Blood burst from his mouth, a strangled gasping noise escaping him before his body limply fell and crumpled to the ground. "I only needed his wheelchair anyways."

Time seemed to freeze for Cross as he stared at his brother's body, begging and praying to see some kind of movement from him. Finally, after what felt like forever but was in reality only a few seconds, the smaller skeleton took a shuddering breath, the painful sound of bone scraping against bone making the breath audible despite the distance between them. Releasing a breath of his own that he'd been holding, Cross was moving before he even realized it, his feet carrying him in the direction of the man that had hurt his brother. His body required no thought, acting on instinct as he dodged underneath the man's arms. The blade in his grip carved upwards, a cold and merciless expression on his face as it bit into the soft flesh of the man's face, just narrowly missing both eyes on its way from one cheek to the opposite temple. Leaving the man roaring in pain, he used the human's large frame as a launch point to get to Geno even faster.

It was as if a switch was flipped inside of him and his emotions were suddenly turned back on, tears welling at the edges of his sockets as he carefully turned the broken skeleton over. Blood dripped down the side of his face and from his mouth, several red spots beginning to bloom underneath the smaller's clothes. "Shit, shit, shit! Geno, please tell me you're still conscious!" He was panicking a bit as he gently tapped the other's cheek, carefully scooping him into his arms while trying his best to avoid causing any more pain.

The action seemed to rouse the injured skeleton, Geno slowly opening his eye and looking hazily at the taller. "C-Cross?" He murmured, voice clearly laced with pain. Even the single word was followed by him beginning to cough up blood, the scarfed skeleton whimpering as he closed his eye and turned towards his brother.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm here," he assured, trying to soothe him as best as he could while brushing tears away in a comforting gesture. "I'm gonna get you to the hospital, they'll make the pain go away Gen, I just need you to hold on and stay awake for as long as you can, okay?"

A warning from CC snapped his head up only to see that the human had recovered from his little attack and was now clearly very pissed. "You're gonna pay for that, you damn monster!" He growled, Cross slowly getting to his feet with Geno in his arms. Every little movement caused his brother to whimper in pain, the more sudden movements causing him to start coughing up blood again. There was no way he could fight with Geno in such a condition, and the man clearly wasn't going to let him simply run away. Cross' speed was limited with Geno in his hold, as starting off too fast would only jostle his injuries and make them worse. In other words, he was trapped.

The man continued to advance with a grin that was success mixed with fury, all while Cross continued to backpedal and try to put more space in between them. CC was flying around, trying to find a way to help, but this man wouldn't be scared as easily as his child had been and the ghost's physical might was nowhere near enough for a physical confrontation. Maybe he could pass off his knife, but he doubted such a tactic would work twice considering how little the attack to his face seemed to be slowing him down. All that strategy would do is open CC up to attack and leave him possibly injured too, which would only slow Cross down because of their bond.

Eventually the pair of skeletons ran out of places to run to, cornered with the man looming in front of them. Out of options, the monochrome skeleton turned himself to use his body to shield his broken brother as best as he could, prepared to take whatever beating the human planned to dish out and protect Geno from the brunt of the attack. "Any last words, you pathetic monster?" He growled, cracking his knuckles in preparation.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you that." The voice wasn't Cross', coming from somewhere he couldn't quite see and not sounding familiar in the slightest. It wasn't long before the owner of that voice was made known, a skeleton leaping into the air and landing on the man's shoulders. Dark clothes and a jet black hoodie clashed with the golden crown sitting atop their skull, their lavender eye lights locked onto Cross' mismatched ones before the stranger pulled a seemingly ornate staff out of nowhere. Either end possessed a silver crescent moon, the light glinting off the edges betraying their sharpness.

The stranger's sudden appearance on the human's back served to throw the large man off balance, though the skeleton seemed to have no issue maintaining his footing as he spun the staff over his head before driving one of the crescents down into his back. The man howled in pain as the monster leapt down, dragging the staff down and through his back on the way down. Once his feet touched down, the lavender-eyed stranger whipped the staff around, smashing it into the man's thigh with enough force that Cross was sure that the weapon would break and splinter. Clearly it was made of something sturdier that simple wood, leading him to believe that it was either metal or even something enchanted with enhanced durability.

As the human cried out in pain yet again and struggled to stay on his feet, the stranger moved to position themselves between the man and the other two monsters. Fresh crimson stained the one end of his weapon, reminding him of the dire condition his brother was in and looking down to find Geno's breathing already significantly weaker compared to what it had been when he'd first been hit. Why the hell had he been so distracted by the random skeleton that jumped to their aid? Geno needed help!

"Go." As if he could read his thoughts, the other skeleton glanced over his shoulder at the other pair, gesturing for them to get out of there with a tilt of his head. "Get him out of here, I'll take care of this idiot."

Ignoring the furious screaming coming from the human, Cross merely nodded his head. "Thank you," he whispered before spinning on his heel and taking off as quickly as he dared to with Geno frail body in his arms.

"Well, that was convenient," CC snidely commented, glaring back at where the human and the other skeleton were left behind.

"Just shut up and find me the fastest way to get him to the hospital!" Cross snapped, having absolutely no patience with how stressed and worried about Geno he was.

The ghost rolled his eyes before vanishing even from Cross' view, the monochromatic skeleton waiting impatiently while trying his best to whisper reassurances to Geno and keep himself from freaking out. He couldn't even tell if his brother was conscious anymore from how unresponsive he was, meaning that time was definitely not his friend right now.

CC had only materialized for less than a second before his brother's frantic gaze was locked on him, the ghost sighing before pointing towards the other end of the park. "Police doing an inspection, cruiser sitting nearby. You can make it there in five minutes."

"I'll do it in two," he growled, not waiting for another instruction before taking off. Cross focused, sorting out the two energies within his soul, or rather his and CC's soul, and locked onto the energy coming from the human's half. Determination buzzed through his system, setting his bones alight with little prickles of electricity. The power surging through him allowed his strides to be faster, smoother, and more powerful as he covered more ground with each step. He ignored everything that wasn't an immovable obstacle, plotting his course to avoid trees and taking advantage of pathways while blowing past any human or monster in his way, sidestepping them all without slowing down as he simply couldn't afford to do so.

CC kept up with him due to his spiritual nature, but clearly wasn't happy with the massive amount of power he was expending. "You idiot, what the hell are you doing?! You can't use my determination so recklessly unless you want to end up in a hospital bed right next to him. You know we have limits, and you seem hell-bent on blowing past all of them!"

"I don't care right now!" The monochromatic skeleton roared in response, gritting his teeth as he kept up the dangerous rate of power consumption despite the strain he could feel it placing on his half of their shared soul. Monsters weren't meant to possess determination, and those that did would face DT poisoning, characterized by melting and a very painful death. CC's soul half was the only reason why drawing on the toxic power had no effect on him, though even then the human's half of their soul could only protect him from DT poisoning for so long, and that time limit greatly decreased the more power he pulled from that source. But he really didn't care right now. "If melting is what it takes to get him the help he needs, then fuck it I'm melting!"

"Hey asshole! You're not the only one that would be effected if your body started falling apart at the seams!" The ghost yelled back at him, but seeing that he got no response only made him huff and turn his head away. "You know he'll be pissed if he wakes up and finds any signs of melting on you."

"Then don't let me melt."

"Easier said than done when you're being so reckless," he snapped back, only for his demeanor to change instantly. "Slow down, you're less than a minute away from the cops."

"Guess that's one way to keep from melting," he sighed as he let go of the extra power he was drawing on, feeling himself almost stumble as he adjusted to the significantly slower speed he was travelling at. Even if it was still faster than most could run, in his mind it wasn't fast enough, not with Geno's condition rapidly deteriorating.

The second the cops were in sight he called out to them, panicking as they went to grab their guns at the sight of a monster running towards them. Yet as he got closer he could see their faces changing from looks of fear to confusion as they took note of Geno's limp and bloody body in his arms. "Please help me, my brother is dying!" He yelled to them, sending out a silent prayer that they wouldn't turn him away simply because they were monsters. Unable to properly inspect Geno at the time, he really didn't know if his statement about him dying was an exaggeration or not.

Thankfully, the two officers were monsters as well, one a dragon and another a bunny. "Oh shit that looks bad! Okay, no time for ambulance, we'll drive you there ourselves!" The bunny cop yelled back, directing the pair to the cop car parked nearby while the other was quick to follow his partner's lead. Cross practically flew into the opened door to the back seat, being extremely careful as he held Geno to his bloodstained chest.

It wasn't long before the officers hopped into the front, driving off with sirens blaring as one radioed dispatch to let them know where they were heading and to have an emergency medical team on standby when they got to the hospital. "It'll be okay Geno, I'm getting you help just like I said I would," he whispered to his brother, now definitely unconscious from pain and blood loss as the crimson liquid continued to stain his once white clothes the same shade as the smaller's precious scarf.

Cross' soul was practically screaming at him for the little stunt he pulled, but since he couldn't feel any sort of melting anywhere on his body he knew that he'd be fine. He could hear CC grumbling at him from his side of the back seat, but paid little attention as he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Dr. Lang, their personal doctor that was the only one they trusted with the truth behind Geno's frail condition. Any time his brother had to go to the hospital, they informed Dr. Lang and she would arrive as soon as possible to ensure that his treatment was successful, also ensuring that some nurse that meant well didn't try to throw out his scarf or even take it off to wash out any blood stains. She was one of the top doctors in the city, so it was easy to get others to listen to her. After texting the name of the hospital that they were going to, having overheard the name thrown around by the cops, he put his phone away and went back to cuddling his brother close, petting his skull to try and provide even some comfort despite his unconscious state.

With all other vehicles getting out of the way due to the blaring sirens, the brothers were driven to the hospital in no time, the cops taking them straight to the emergency bay that the ambulances used where a small team of doctors and nurses were standing by. The second he stepped out of the car the nurses were carefully transferring the unconscious skeleton to a stretcher, Cross following for as long as he could before simply watching his brother disappear into the hospital. He'd be okay, he was the strongest person Cross knew. After all they'd been through, this wouldn't be enough to keep him down.

One of the nurses approached him as he was standing there, offering to check him over and asking for details on his brother's health and the incident leading to the injury. He explained as much as he felt comfortable with, basically saying how the smaller had been thrown into a tree and due to the fragility of his bones several had been broken by the impact and he'd lost a lot of blood. The minute he explained that Dr. Lang would be coming and had all knowledge of his brother's medical condition and treatment, the nurse was quick to scurry off and confirm what would've been most likely seen as an outlandish story. Given how she never came back, he assumed that she found out that he wasn't making that up.

After the nurse came the cops, wanting to know how his brother had been injured so severely and why they had to clean blood out of their back seat. Even with the two of them being monsters, Cross still didn't feel right bringing up the other skeleton that had jumped in to let them escape. There was no telling what kind of trouble he might get into if this issue escalated, so he decided to keep all mention of him out to spare him from any repercussions.

"Wait," the bunny officer cut him off as he was describing the man that attacked Geno, pulling up a photo of the guy on his phone, the name Tyler Reynolds printed along the bottom. "Like, is this the dude that went after you?" The skeleton nodded, earning a sharp whistle from the cop that passed the phone over to his partner. "Dude, like you're lucky that you're still in one piece! Do you know who he is?"

"No, should I?" He asked, making a mental note of the man that had dared to hurt his brother. Now to see how much information these cops would give him, how much work they'd save him.

"Ex-military," the dragon spoke up, clearly not the talkative one of the two. "Not a big fan of monsters either, was part of a unit specializing in dealing with monster insurgent groups. Retired but still a big protestor against monster rights, in other words not good news."

"Yeah! Like, even as cops we'd have issues with this guy! The captain wouldn't, as she's like totally awesome, but you're not even a cop. How did you even get away from him?" The bunny piped up, stealing the conversation again.

The skeleton merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just fast I guess." The police officers had a few more questions before they reluctantly asked if he wanted to press charges. On one hand they recommended it as officers, as his brother had suffered life threatening injuries from the man and he'd openly attacked a disabled person. But as monsters they off the books told him that it wouldn't matter and might only make things worse, as the guy had the connections to ensure that not only was he not found guilty, but the case may be spun around to frame him or Geno. Knowing how true that was, Cross officially stated that he had no desire to press charges, and the cops both wished him and his brother well before driving off to get back to their patrol.

It didn't matter if the legal system would fail them, because all it took was one look between him and CC to know that the two of them were on the same page. They'd take justice into their own hands and make sure that the bastard paid, one way or another.

But first, Cross needed a break, barely managing to pull himself away from the emergency entrance to the hospital to a nearby bench before collapsing. "This is what you get for ignoring me," CC sighed, glaring at him as he wheezed slightly from the strain using too much determination had placed on his body.

"Oh shut up, Geno made it to the hospital in time and that's all that matters." Cross took a moment to catch his breath, feeling the ache in his soul die down a bit while CC flew around to entertain himself. "Just... don't tell Geno. You know how pissed he'll get if he finds out I pushed myself too hard."

"Maybe you should've thought about that before being so reckless, maybe I should tell him just to teach you a lesson. You know that you've delayed our vengeance on that bastard and his stupid entitled family because of your recovery time right?"

"It'll give us time to case them out," he countered, not wanting to go up against that guy without magic or at least a plan a second time. Physical knives could only do so much in his opinion, as they lacked the versatility and configurability of the ones generated through magic he typically used. "That bastard clearly knows how to fight, especially if he's ex-military. If we can't find a way to either disable the anti-magic field or ambush them outside of it, then I want to have the best chance of making him pay."

The ghostly child scoffed, floating off a ways while muttering, "Yeah, whatever." A few more moments of silence passed before CC stiffened, suddenly whirling to look down the street. The monochrome skeleton looked up only to grow alarmed from the look of panic on his brother's face. "Cross, you better pull yourself together, because I just felt the presence of one hell of a strong daemon. And they're coming right for us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving on to the second-last ship!
> 
> Also I absolutely love any chance that I get to put CC in the story :)


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some Crossmare!
> 
> This chapter contains mild blood and violence, please read at your own discretion.

Nightmare looked to the smiling face of his brother at the door before turning back to glare at Killer's hopeful expression. "No," he simply said before turning his back on both with the full intention of crawling back into his nice, dark, people-free room.

Apparently that wasn't the answer his brother wanted though, a bolt of yellow magic in the shape of an arrow cutting Nightmare off. "Night, you promised that you would hear me out and give my suggestion some thought," the younger twin commented, the darker twin able to hear how much he was straining to keep his typical smile just through his voice.

"I did, I listened to your dumb idea, I considered it, and I still think it's dumb. Bye."

"Dude, Nightmare are you serious?" Killer commented, the other daemon turning to catch the look of disbelief on his face. "We all know that your soulmate isn't going to just fall through the roof and land in your lap."

"You never know," he countered with a smug grin, part of him hoping to hear something falling through the roof at that moment. Alas, his smug look faded as that perfect opportunity was wasted.

Neither of his brothers seemed impressed with his insistence on denying their invitation out, Dream stepping inside to be even with Killer who kept trying to convince him. "Look, Reaper said that our soulmates were in the city, meaning that you have to head into the city in order to find yours! Speaking of, you really want to stay here with Mr. Depresso?"

All three looked into the nearby sitting room where the raven daemon was currently face down in one of the couches, one wing draped over the back while another dragged along the ground. A muffled whine could be heard from him, though he seemed just as insistent to stay in that position as Nightmare was to stay put. The constant failure to find his soulmate despite searching longer than any of them and constantly coming so close was starting to wear on him, leaving in a state of melancholy that none of them could seem to fix. "How... long has he been like that?" Dream questioned, worry seeping into his tone before turning to the other two daemons.

"I think this is day... two..." Nightmare pondered before correcting himself. "No three. Horror finding his soulmate really didn't help, only made him feel worse for being one of the last two without his mate. Anyways bringing up bird brain over there isn't going to make me change my mind. It's not like I haven't been searching, I've just been choosing to go out at night where I blend in more."

"But your monster form-"

"-Is not a requirement to find them," he cut the two off with a growl, not eager to feel as weak as he often did in that form. "Now, you two have your answer, so just leave me alone and go enjoy your date or whatever."

He could hear the two of them muttering as he once again turned his back, paying them no mind as he was sure that they were trying to come up with another argument to convince him even if he'd made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to listen. So he was a little surprised when Killer grabbed one of his tentacles instead of calling out to him, the older daemon instantly rounding on him with a hiss as he threatened to strike. His brother instantly put his froglike hands up in the air in a sign of surrender, Nightmare glaring at him until his words caught him off guard. "Sorry," was all he said, the octopus daemon taking far too long to realize what he was apologizing for. Initially believing it to be an apology for touching his sensitive tentacles, the taller skeleton blinked a couple times as his vision started to blur. Only then he realized with rising panic that Killer had originally been in his monster form in preparation to head out, meaning that his current daemon form was a deliberate transformation that he missed when his back was turned. The blurry vision turned to a woozy feeling that left him swaying and fighting to stay awake, the daemon gritting his teeth as he tried to keep his eye open. "You... fucking... drugged..." He slurred, unable to finish his sentence before he lost sight of the pair of guilty smiles and hit the floor.

When Nightmare next opened his eyes, it was due to his head cracking against the car door he'd been leaning on. "Fuck!" He hissed as he grabbed his now throbbing skull, turning to glare at his twin in the driver's seat. "You two fucking drugged me!" He snarled, blinking his eyes as he adjusted to the bright sunlight and the shapes whipping past the outside of his brother's car. Wait... eyes, not eye... "And why the hell am I in this disgusting form?!" He screeched, looking to his hands only to see the porcelain white bone staring back at him. And with a sickening dread he realized that he wasn't able to change forms at will as the moment.

"Sorry!" Dream cringed from the driver's seat, looking in the rear-view mirror to see the darker twin's furious expression. "You were being difficult!"

"Difficult?! That's your excuse for fucking drugging and kidnapping me?!"

"You ever notice that your voice is a slightly higher pitch when you're in this form?" Killer calmly commented from the passenger seat, clearly not as regretful as Dream was. It did work to silence the other daemon though at the reminder of his weaker form. "Look, this is for your own good. Reaper might have the world's worst luck, but at this rate he'll find his soulmate years before you do. If you only go out after dark, then you miss the best time to find your soulmate!"

"You found yours at night."

"..." Killer paused as he legitimately didn't have a response to that, shaking his head and moving past that little comment. "Whatever, Horror and I might've found ours at night, but the rest found theirs in the middle of the day. It's obviously better odds Nightmare. Look, I only hit you with a mild sedative, enough for Dream to do what he needed to and to get you too far into the city for you to jump out of a moving car since you totally would do that."

Ignoring the comment to some of his more reckless tendencies, he instead turned to glare at his twin who flinched as if he could feel his gaze while still watching the road. "Dream. Why can't I change back?"

Both of them paid no mind to Killer questioning why he tried to change back in the heart of the city with nowhere to hide, the younger sibling growing more hesitant to answer only to eventually cave when pushed again. "I... mayhavesealedyourdaemonform," he spluttered out all at once, leaving one daemon confused as to what he said but not the other.

"You know I despise when you do that, right?" Nightmare growled in a low tone, earning a meek nod but no verbal response. "And you know I'll be sure to punish you for this once your spell wears off, right?" Again, another nonverbal confirmation. God, sometimes having a brother that was adept at magic was a huge pain. "When will it wear off?"

"Um... a few hours," Dream mumbled, his behaviour betraying his fear to both daemons, the younger of the two turning to growl at his leader for scaring his soulmate. "I-I figured that we could hit the park, there's a really big one in the center of the city that a lot of people should be at since it's a weekend."

"I. Hate. People... And outside for that matter."

"Yeah, but you'll suddenly love it if you find your soulmate," Killer threw in with a chuckle, seemingly unfazed by his glare as he simply pulled out his phone and started texting. When Nightmare felt his own phone buzz though, he pretty much already knew what the message was about. He pulled it out and glanced at Killer's contact popping up on his screen, groaning silently at the message he was reading. _Back off. Drugging you was my idea, so lay off him or I'll give you something worse when you least expect it. He's still recovering mentally and I know that he wants to use this trip not only to help you but to hopefully reconnect with you a bit. So do me a favour and play nice._

 _Fine._ Even if he'd been the one to leave all those years ago, he didn't want to be responsible for making his brother's frail mental health any worse by arguing with him. Contrary to popular belief he still loved Dream, even if his constant attempts to be positive and smiley were a bit nauseating to deal with over long periods of time. Guess that meant spending the day with him at the park... yay...

It only took another fifteen minutes of driving before Dream pulled into the parking lot reserved for park guests, hopping out to quickly pay while the two daemons got out. The sun was far brighter than he expected it to be, but then again Nightmare had never been one to like the light. Thankfully he'd worn his hoodie today as he often did, allowing him to pull the dark fabric over his head to at least limit some of the light reaching him. "You know you look as emo as Reaper right now, right?" Killer casually commented as he got out, earning a muted growl in response. "Seriously, how are you and Dream related? It's not even like you two are cousins or step-brothers or something, you're twins and yet you two are polar opposites."

"Trust me, Dream and I have been trying to figure that one out since we were kids," he grumbled, looking up as his brother came bouncing over after paying for parking.

"Alright, we're ready to go!" Dream chirped, eagerly taking the hands of both daemons and leading the way into the park.

It wasn't bad really, though Nightmare was trying to keep being grumpy for the sake of being grumpy at this point. Between him and Killer most people gave their group plenty of space so he didn't have to worry about bumping into strangers or having to talk to them, so it was a lot more bearable than he thought it would be. Plus Dream was being kind enough to stick to paths that were partially shaded by the colourful leaves that had yet to fall, as the octopus daemon had grown so used to the shadows over the years that he really wasn't a fan of direct sunlight. Those same leaves that were somewhat protecting him also provided a very satisfying crunch when he purposefully walked over them, causing a smirk to eventually replace his usual frown.

After a couple hours of wandering around and talking about whatever, the golden skeleton led the two to a more secluded area of the park, giving them privacy from prying eyes. While a little surprised since half of their reason for being out here was to help Nightmare find his soulmate, he certainly wasn't going to argue as he took a seat following his twin's example. "Okay, I know you're not a fan of gifts Night, but I couldn't help but ask a friend of mine for help with making you something as a sort of welcome home present."

He couldn't stop himself from letting out a groan, shooting Dream a withering look. "Dream, if you know I don't like gifts, then why did you get me one?" He couldn't stand gifts, it always made him feel like he was indebted to someone, especially if he didn't have a gift to give in return. This was one of those times.

"Well... I got an idea and I figured you would actually like it so I just couldn't help myself," he admitted, rubbing the back of his skull a bit before rummaging around in his bag to find the supposed gift. Nightmare honestly had no idea what he was going to get, Dream was pretty unpredictable when it came to gifts and nothing obvious was jumping to mind at the moment.

What he wasn't expecting was for the lighter twin to pull out a silver bracelet, an amethyst gem in the middle of the otherwise plain piece of jewelry. "Um... thanks?" He muttered out, completely confused by why he was getting a bracelet that he'd likely never wear due to it being too feminine.

Now it was Dream's turn to shoot him a withering look, forcing him to put it on as he grumbled something incoherent under his breath. "It's enchanted dummy, this is what it looks like if you don't need to use it. That way you can easily have it on you whenever you want. Just swipe your hand over it to activate it, my friend used my magic as a template so it should work."

The daemon blinked a couple times in surprise at the golden skeleton's words, looking to the bracelet now wrapped around his left wrist. Enchanting was an old magic, a human art as uncommon as the invocations that Reaper and Dream were skilled with. It was the science of infusing magic into an object, altering its properties and making it capable of things that people could normally only dream of. Flying carpets, extradimensional boxes, even places that were bigger on the inside, all examples of enchanting that were now only used in pop culture. Enchanters nowadays were pretty rare given how humans had turned away from magic in favour of science, leading to them condemning most forms of magic including the ones they used to practice. "You know an enchanter? That's pretty impressive... please tell me this isn't going to blow up the second I activate it."

"I don't need this to blow you up," Dream scoffed, seemingly insulted that he would accuse him of such. "Come on Night, just do it! I wanna see what you think of it!"

While part of him was tempted to be an ass and hold off on activating it just to bother his brother, he knew for a fact that Dream wouldn't back off until he did it. "Ugh, fine," he sighed, shooting the bracelet a skeptical look before preparing to wave his hand over it. The daemon did pause though when he saw his twin shift away, shooting him a suspicious glare and only getting a smile and a thumbs up in return. Growling under his breath, Nightmare just sucked it up and waved his hand over the piece of metal, bracing himself for whatever was supposed to happen.

He opened one eye as he heard the hum of magic activating within the piece of jewelry, both eyes now flying wide open as he watched it straighten and unwrap itself from his wrist before it started to extend and grow in diameter, continuing to grow until it had taken on the proportions of a staff. The ends of the staff shifted and melted before reforming as a pair of silver crescents while the rest of the staff shifted to take on a more ornate appearance, his signature lavender colour marbling the silver and accenting the ends of the staff just before the crescent moons. "Shit," he murmured as he felt the staff settle, signifying that it was finished changing. His fingers reached over to carefully brush over the edges of the crescents, finding that the edges were razor sharp and could easily cut anything. "Dream... I... I-I don't know what to say... this is awesome."

"Really? You really like it?" The golden skeleton blurted out, clearly very happy with the reaction he got. "I know you don't like being in your monster form because you feel like you're not as strong without your tentacles, but I also know that once you find your soulmate you'll need to be in this form more often. So I figured that if you had a weapon that you could use no matter which form you were in and that you could always carry on you, then maybe you might like it. My friend made sure to make it really durable, like he took it and smashed it repeatedly into a tree trunk before having me drive over it to make sure that the durability enchantment was good enough. And look!" The golden skeleton rifled around in his bag before pulling out an identical bracelet, though this one was gold instead of silver with a garnet embedded in it. "My friend made me a matching one!"

The older twin let out a chuckle at how excited his brother was, admiring his own staff for a moment longer before waving his hand over it and watching it collapse back down to its original form, wrapping around his wrist as if it had never been altered. He then promptly got to his feet, surprising the other two as they had no idea what Nightmare was up to. Even though he wasn't much of a clingy person normally, he knew how much Dream was and how much he loved hugs, so he figured that this was the best way to show his appreciation. "Thank you Dream, it's a really thoughtful gift. I love it," he assured as he gave his little brother a hug, chuckling at the barely contained enthusiasm expressed by how quickly and snugly he hugged back. Guess this was what Dream wanted, to spend some time reconnecting with the brother he used to know, and the dark twin had to admit that it was kind of nice to be with Dream again. Even though he saw the others as his brothers, there wasn't the same level of closeness as there was with his twin.

As the two hugged it out for a bit longer, a strange sensation made the daemon freeze and snap to alertness, his gaze locked on to the trees surrounding them. Something in there was calling to him in a way that he'd never felt before. Dream certainly noticed his sudden tension, pulling away and looking to his brother in worry. "Night? Is something wrong?" He asked, watching as his brother got to his feet while never taking his eyes off the forest.

"They're here," both Killer and Nightmare said at once, the former recognizing the reaction the other was giving as nearly identical to how Dream had first stolen his focus on that bridge.

The octopus daemon took a few steps forward, looking ready to run in the direction that his soul was pulling him, only to stop as the shifting on his new weapon on his wrist reminded him of his brothers that he'd been out here with and making him turn back to look at them.

"Go," Killer instructed, Dream sending him a smile and an understanding nod. They both knew what he was feeling and how he couldn't deny it, neither wanting to stand in his way when his soulmate was calling to him. "We'll just chill and have some fun on our own, just make sure to let us know when you manage to get them!"

Nodding in appreciation of their understanding, Nightmare didn't waste another second and took off into the trees. He could feel his soulmate running after something, the direction he was being pulled down altering to reflect their new position once they stopped. But something was also pulling at his soul, a sensation that led to a growing sense of worry. The yelling he heard coming from nearby really wasn't making that feeling any better.

As Nightmare managed to break past the bulk of the trees separating them, he finally managed to catch a glimpse of a small clearing with three different figures. Yet the one drawing his focus was the monochrome skeleton fiercely protecting the other skeleton in his arms. The moment their gaze turned he could've sworn it locked onto him, even if logically there was no way that he could be seen from his current position. Before fantasies could cloud his focus too much though, the sensation tugging at his soul reminded him of the significant threat that was currently endangering who he assumed was his soulmate.

Gritting his teeth, Nightmare moved in the shadows of the trees, careful not to make too much noise while trying to get a shot at the man's back to catch him off guard. If he was in his daemon form he simply would've burst into the clearing and tackled the bastard, but his daemon form was still locked away and he couldn't risk revealing himself too early to his soulmate anyways. So he figured that it was time to put his new gift to use, the daemon waving his hand over the staff to activate it. Part of him wanted to watch the change once more, but he knew that he didn't have time, instead focusing on getting into the perfect location to strike. No way was he going to let that human lay a finger on what was his.

From where he was located the daemon could very clearly hear the laboured and pained breathing of the scarfed skeleton in his soulmate's arms, gritting his teeth at the look of desperation on their face. He would act right now, but they wouldn't stop moving, which was a good thing considering how pissed the stupid human was but made it impossible to get the right vantage point. When they did stop though, Nightmare took his chance and got in position, preparing to strike and taking advantage of the man's loud words to cover his advance from behind. "Any last words, you pathetic monster?" The man growled, looking ready to beat both of them into a bloody pulp.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you that," the daemon growled in response as he took advantage of the element of surprise to leap on to the human's back. Compared to having to wrestle Horror out of the kitchen, staying balanced even when the human started moving was relatively easy with his feet automatically adjusting while he spun his staff in the air. Admittedly that part was simply to show off to his soulmate, allowing him to throw a bit of flair and seem like an even more impressive hero before he attacked.

The ends of his staff were even sharper than he realized, rending both cloth and flesh with little issue. If he'd dragged it down the front, he likely would've hit something important. Guess he'd have to ask if the sharpness was another enchantment from Dream's mystery friend. Deciding to test out that durability that had been mentioned, he proceeded to smash the metal staff into the man's thigh with everything that he had once both feet were safely on the ground before making sure to put himself in between the threat and his soulmate.

A glance back revealed that the other skeleton was clearly in bad shape, his soulmate looking like he was on the verge of a panic attack over his condition. "Go," he instructed, for as much as he wanted his soulmate to stay so that he could show off before officially meeting him, the other skeleton needed help fast and was clearly important to him. "Get him out of here, I'll take care of this idiot."

The monochrome skeleton paused long enough to thank him before bolting to safety, leaving Nightmare alone with the human. "You bastard! I'm gonna kill you! Do you know who the fuck I am?! I eat pathetic monsters like you for breakfast!" The man roared, his words really irking the lavender skeleton who glared back at him.

"Pathetic? You think I'm pathetic?" He asked, voice ice cold as he felt something snap inside him... literally. It took him a second to realize what it was, though in his rage he started to call for his daemon form and could feel that what had snapped was Dream's seal. It had been three hours since they'd left, and just as his twin said the spell wore off at what couldn't be better timing. "Do you know who the fuck I am?" He asked in a very calm voice, his disposition already growing cockier as he realized that his full strength was back in use. While he didn't dare risk using it outright and blowing his cover, the shade provided by the trees would be perfect for his plan. So he started to slowly back up, grinning as he did so. "If not, then you're about to find out."

Without his soulmate here, there was no reason for him to show off, so he decided that the best thing to do would be to get this over with quick and then go hunt that skeleton down to make sure that everything was alright. "Oh what, scared little monster gonna hide in the shadows?" The man taunted, Nightmare's grin only widening in response the moment he was concealed enough to change forms. And all the human would see would be his wide grin and two lavender eye lights being replaced by a single icy blue one.

It certainly seemed to unnerve the man, as he stumbled back a step and looked around once those indications of the skeleton's presence vanished. "Wait... what the hell are you?!" He growled as his head spun around, trying to catch another glimpse of his target that had all but vanished.

"Your worst Nightmare," the daemon purred from the darkness, moving fluidly from the shadows once the man turned to the sound of his voice to find another vantage point where the man's back was turned. Shifting back into his monster form, Nightmare once again went on the attack, delivering several cuts to the man's back before hooking one of his ankles and pulling the second he saw him starting to recover from the surprise barrage. As the man stumbled to ground the skeleton retreated to the shadows again, seriously wishing he could just strangle him with tentacles and be done with it.

It took his enemy a moment to recover and get to his feet, Nightmare once again moving through the surrounding trees and using his daemon form's talents for camouflage to remain unseen in the darkness. "Fuck, you just attack any old humans picking on monsters, is that it? You some kind of hero?" He challenged, trying to figure out where Nightmare was by getting him to speak up.

"A hero? Oh no, I think most would think of me more as a villain," he chuckled, quickly moving away from his spot as he felt the human zero in on his position. "No, I couldn't give a damn about most other monsters, but he's the exception." The guy whirled to face him again, Nightmare once again moving away with little issue. "You should be thankful that you never managed to lay a hand on him, otherwise your life would be forfeit."

This time he didn't move, though he could tell that the human was expecting him to even if he still looked in the direction of his voice. "What's so special about that bastard that you'd risk your neck to save him then?!"

"Everything," was all he said, catching his target off guard as his voice came from the same spot once again. Not wanting to give him a chance to prepare, Nightmare returned to his monster form and lunged out of hid hiding place, readying his staff to finish this. The human was impressively fast for his size, but Nightmare had to deal with Dust, so he was faster. He swung his staff out, aiming for the face and ripping the tip of the crescent diagonally across his face on the opposite side of the wound he assumed his soulmate created, leaving an X pattern carved into his face.

The human reeled backwards and roared in pain, clutching at his face and giving Nightmare enough time to land one last blow. He swung the staff down with everything he had, right on top of the man's skull and felt such satisfaction in seeing him collapse unconscious from the strike. "Like I said, you're lucky that you didn't manage to lay a hand on him, otherwise I wouldn't be stopping right now," he spat, kicking the man's body once more for good measure. There was also the fact that a human killed in broad daylight in a park likely wouldn't go unnoticed, but he preferred to think of it as mercy letting him live so that's what he was going with. Now, to find his soulmate.

Given the state of the other skeleton with him, they likely went to the nearest hospital to get him urgent medical attention. If he wanted to get there in decent time without getting lost, then he'd definitely want a ride. Thankfully he had a brother with a car. He swiped his hand over the bloody staff to turn it back into a plain old bracelet, feeling it wrap around his wrist before running back in the direction that he'd come from.

Part of him wasn't expecting Killer and Dream to still be there, so he was quite thankful when he got there to see Dream using a bow to shoot magical arrows into a nearby tree while the frog daemon watched on and chatted about stuff that Nightmare couldn't hear and honestly didn't care about. Both stopped when he came flying back in though, Dream by his twin's side in seconds and gesturing to patches of blood on his hoodie. "Night, there's blood on you! What happened, are you hurt?"

"Relax, it's not mine, but I need you to take me to the nearest hospital right away."

"Um... not really convincing us you aren't hurt," Killer piped up, now on his feet and looking worriedly over at his brother.

"I swear it's not mine! But my soulmate just had to take someone to the hospital and I don't want to lose my chance to meet him!" Both froze, sharing a look with each other before nodding. They didn't waste another second before running towards the car at the end of the park, the octopus daemon vaguely registering the sound of sirens as he followed hot on their heels.

Dream didn't even bother looking up any sort of directions before taking off, leaving the darker twin a little bit worried about the possibility of them getting lost. "Um... do you know where you're going?"

"Course I do! A friend of mine is in and out of the hospital constantly, and since I'm the only one in our group that has a license, it's my job to pick him up any time he gets discharged. So I pretty much know the location of every major hospital in the city and the fastest ways to get to any of them."

"... How is it that you can't remember to put pants on in the morning but you can memorize the layout of the city enough to know all of that?"

"Shut up! That was only one time... in recent history." While part of him wanted to tease his younger brother a bit for having that happen again even after all these years when it was a common childhood occurrence for them, he'd rather the golden skeleton focus on getting them to the hospital as fast as possible so that he didn't lose his chance. He'd have plenty of time to tease him later.

An air of tension hung in the air as the car sped along the various twisting streets, Dream's eyes quickly scanning the road conditions ahead as he adjusted their course on the fly. Nightmare shot Killer a look, seeing that he had absolutely no clue where they were going just like him. With nothing left to do, he was forced to place his trust in his twin's ability to navigate the twisting streets of the city without getting them lost or taking too long. Every second seemed to tick by too fast, the chances of his soulmate leaving the hospital before he could get to him growing with every passing moment. "Why are we stopping?" He growled at one point, earning a withering look from his twin.

"Night, I get that you're impatient, but it's a red light. There are other cars going. Don't think you want to get to the hospital in an ambulance, so just let me drive," he snapped, the darker sibling going silent and pouting in the back seat until they started moving.

Eventually the building that he assumed was the hospital given the ambulances parked nearby came into view, Nightmare practically glued to the window as he scanned the area for his soulmate. They had to still be here, they just had to! Killer made a snide remark at how he was suddenly acting, but he didn't even hear it as a flash of black and white could be seen outside on the sidewalk. With how his soul was crying for him to go to the blurry figure, he knew that was them. "Wait, wait! Stop the car!"

"First you want me to go, now you want me to stop," Dream mumbled, clearly not impressed with his twin at this moment.

"No, no we're driving past him! Dream stop the damn car!"

"I can't! We're in the middle of the street! Hang on, I'll pull into the nearest parking spot and you can chase after him from there!"

"But he could leave! I need to get out now!" Not caring about the moving traffic or the complaints coming from Dream, he went to grab the handle of the door and yank. Before he could jump out of the moving car though, a click could be heard and the door handle refused to work. "Did you seriously just lock me in?!"

"Ah childproof locks, that the reason you said to throw him in the back seat?" Killer asked, calm as ever and clearly enjoying seeing Nightmare in such a state of desperation.

"One of them," Dream growled, not nearly as happy as his daemon companion about this situation. With Nightmare trapped, all he could do was watch out the window like a puppy waiting for its owner to come back, even shifting in his seat to look out the back window longingly once they got so far away. True to his word, the golden skeleton found the first available parking lot and pulled in, the darker twin not even waiting to hear what the other two said and practically throwing himself out the door once the car stopped and was unlocked.

All thought of his brothers that he was leaving behind flew out the window as he raced out of the parking lot, barely avoiding getting hit by oncoming traffic as he ran back the way they come. _Please still be there,_ he prayed as the honking and annoying shouts faded with distance. He could feel the pulling sensation within his soul growing stronger, a sign that he was getting closer. Judging from the distance, it seemed like his soulmate hadn't moved since they drove past him.

As the daemon cleared the peak of a small hill, he could see that the monochrome skeleton was collapsed on a bench on the side of the street, looking utterly exhausted. Had he ran that other skeleton all the way here? A thought pinged in the back of his mind that made him quickly double back, having noticed a convenience store on the other side of the street. Dream had gotten all of the daemons set up with credit cards that he would help take care of using the inheritance left to the both of them by their parents. Neither really wanted to touch that money more than necessary but agreed that this was probably the best use of money that they didn't want anything to do with. So it was easy for him to walk in there, grab a couple bottles of water, and head back out on his original path.

When he approached this time though, his soulmate seemed far more alert, almost as if he was expecting a threat. Hoping that the water would make him seem like a friend and not a foe, Nightmare pushed aside the desperate eagerness that had been driving him since the park and put on an air of calm. Last thing he wanted to do was freak the smaller skeleton out by coming off as a desperate stalker.

As he walked towards them his soulmate's gaze whipped around to glare at him, and even though his expression was filled with distrust bordering on hostility, it was still the most beautiful face Nightmare had ever seen. Is this what it had been like for the others? Now he was starting to see why none of them were ever home for too long, not if they each had their own person who looked as breathtaking to them. "Can I... help you?" The smaller skeleton asked with an icy tone, snapping the daemon back to alertness as he realized that he'd been staring.

Feeling a bit of heat flooding his cheeks, he instead held out a water bottle with a smile that was a poor attempt at hiding how awkward he was feeling right now. When the other's expression only grew more confused and a bit more on edge, he realized that he was looking like an idiot right now. "I got this for you. You looked tired... and thirsty! Hence why I got you water, because I can't get you a nap." Oh god he was so awkward! This is why he didn't like people! It was one thing when he knew someone like he did his brothers, but even though this person was his soulmate he knew absolutely nothing about them and so was getting extremely nervous about acting right and not scaring him off. So far, he didn't think it was going well.

The monochrome skeleton shot him a very suspicious glare, narrowing his eyes slightly as he took a step forward. "Thanks..." He muttered as he took the bottle from the daemon's outstretched hand, though that hand lingered probably a bit too long in the air before he hastily pulled it back and wrapped it around his own bottle of water. The monochrome skeleton proceeded to open his drink and take a long sip, his gaze never leaving the taller as he quickly downed half the bottle. "Is there a particular reason you keep staring me?"

"N-No!" Nightmare hastily blurted out, his cheeks going bright purple as he was caught staring again, this time only realizing that he'd been doing it when he got caught. "I-I mean... uh..."

"Is it the blood?" The other skeleton gestured to the large bloody stain on the front of his jacket, Nightmare taking the lifeline and nodding, finding the action too meek for his liking and adding it to the growing list of how he was screwing this up. In his daemon form he was always so cocky and confident, but it was growing pretty obvious to him that the confidence came from that form's strength and wasn't available to him in his monster form. "It's not mine, if that's what you're wondering."

"O-Oh I know," he mumbled without thinking, the suspicion practically radiating from the smaller skeleton as the octopus daemon felt a sudden desire to crawl into a hole and die. This was it, he screwed everything up and his soulmate hated him!

That suspicious look roamed over him, analyzing every detail before his eyes went wide. "Wait a minute, you're him! The guy from the park! But how... why are you here?"

 _Because you're my whole world and I wanted to see you again_. Nightmare had to actively keep himself from blurting that out loud, biting down on his tongue before a much more reasonable response came to him. "Well... your friend didn't look too good and you didn't seem to be doing too well either, so I wanted to make sure you guys were... you know, okay."

That was clearly the right answer as much of the defensiveness melted from the smaller skeleton's posture, giving the daemon some hope that he hadn't screwed this up completely. "Yeah, I'm okay. My brother's in the best hands money can buy, so he'll be okay too. Though he's probably going to be in the hospital for a bit because of that bastard... How did you get away from him anyways? I told the cops who attacked us and they pretty much said that the guy was bad news and that we were lucky to be alive."

"Oh, I kicked the shit out of that dick and knocked him out," he proudly proclaimed, feeling a bit of his usual confidence returning as he made his declaration. That confidence only doubled as he caught sight of the surprise on his soulmate's face. "Don't know why you seem so surprised, I'm sure you could've taken him too if you didn't have your brother to take care of." That had the intended result of getting a bit of blush to streak across the other's face, the hostility that he'd earlier possessed nearly nonexistent.

With the conversation taking a better turn, the daemon figured that he could safely push his luck as he gestured to the bench the other was sitting on. "May I?" He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting, but seeing his soulmate's gaze suddenly dart to the side wasn't it. A bit of that mistrust seeped back into his gaze, as if something was telling him to not trust the taller skeleton. "Is... everything okay?"

His question served to snap the monochrome skeleton out of whatever had stolen his attention, the smaller quickly shaking his head as if to clear some thought away. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, it's just..."

"Your brother?" Nightmare guessed, noticing that his eyes had looked back over in the direction of the hospital. A nod was the only response he got, though it seemed almost hesitant, as if he had to think about his answer for a split second. "Hey, I'm sure everything will turn out fine. You said yourself that he's in the best hands possible," he offered, trying to cheer him up a bit while also growing bold enough to take the seat beside the smaller skeleton.

While he did earn a look for his sudden proximity, the other made no move to shift away and put more distance between them, merely taking another sip from his water bottle. "Why did you save us?" He suddenly asked, his tone growing suspicious once again. It was as if he couldn't believe that Nightmare had simply save the two out of the kindness of his heart, which was completely true despite the daemon trying to throw that image out there. It's not like he could treat a complete stranger like they were someone special to him, not without chasing them off and possibly getting hit in the process.

Once again having to stop himself from blurting out a more truthful answer, he instead went with the safe approach: answering a question with a question. "Well, why wouldn't I?"

"Um... sorry if this insults you but you don't exactly seem like the type of person to randomly jump to a stranger's aid."

"Oh, is it the dark clothes?"

"More like the fact that you seem kind of wimpy-"

"Wimpy?!" Nightmare cut him off mid sentence, bristling at the accusation but forcing himself to calm down before he got truly mad. Guess this form looked just as weak as he thought it did.

Instead of being on edge due to the sudden flare of his temper, the other skeleton merely smirked as if he wasn't afraid of him in the slightest. "Yeah, honestly I'm still finding it hard to believe that you beat that guy like you said. You might be strong like you claim, but you have the intimidation factor of a flower and it's not doing you any favours."

Nightmare could feel his eye twitching, though he had to admit that he liked how much backbone his soulmate had. What he wouldn't give to be able to change right now and knock that smug look off of his face. Instead, he smirked back as an idea came to him, finally seeing a way to get the other skeleton to open up to him and hopefully trust him a bit more. "Fine then tough guy, if I look so weak then how about a friendly bet? Arm wrestle, you win and I admit to being a wimp and will do one thing you ask of me, even if that's simply me leaving you alone. I win and you admit that I'm strong, and I'll ask you for one thing. Sound like a fair wager?" That seemed to catch him off guard, the monochrome skeleton's cocky expression faltering just a bit. "Oh come on, don't tell me you're scared to get beaten by a 'wimp'," he taunted, hoping to get him to play along.

"You're on!" The smaller growled, easily rising to his bait as he dragged the taller over to a nearby coffee shop before pulling him into a booth and setting himself up. The daemon was grinning as he grabbed hold of his hand, ready to put all of his strength into this. No way was he going to admit to being a wimp.

Their little contest kicked off once they counted down from three, both sets of eyes going wide as their arms vibrated in the middle but never moved much from the starting point. "Okay, I'll admit that you're a lot stronger than you look," his soulmate said, smirking as he shifted in his seat to get better leverage.

"Same to you, can't remember the last time I arm wrestled someone who was just as strong as me," Nightmare admitted, knowing that only Horror was physically stronger than him amongst his brothers while the other had never come close. He could still recall the one time when he'd challenged Error only to be laughing as the spider used both of his right arms and still lost. It had been a long time since he'd done this, as the others had quickly learned that this was how he often tried to get things he wanted, essentially pulling the exact same strategy that he was now by making a simple yet vague wager that seemed too good to be true.

The two skeletons kept at it for several minutes, their strength and stamina seemingly completely matched as neither showed signs of giving in. And judging from the smiles on their faces, both seemed to be enjoying the challenge just as much as the other one. "Gotta admit, you're not like everyone else, honestly you're way more interesting."

"The feeling is definitely mutual. Any chance I could know the name of such a worthy opponent?"

"Cross," the smaller skeleton finally introduced himself, the earlier tension between them completely gone.

"Nightmare. So how long do you think it'll be before one of us loses?"

Cross thought about it for a moment before his smirk came back and the daemon felt a bit more force put into their little contest. "I can keep going as long as I need to. The question is how long can you go?"

"Like hell I'm going to put myself into a position where I have to call myself a wimp. I'm winning this thing and getting my prize!"

"Oh yeah, you decide on what you're going to ask for?" The monochrome skeleton asked, both of them staying even with each other as they chatted. "I've been trying to come up with something, but I honestly haven't been able to figure out what I'd want you to do."

Nightmare gave himself a moment of thought, deciding that this might be how he ends up winning their little bet. "Well... I was thinking that maybe I could ask you on a date." He shot the smaller a fairly suggestive look as he said this, hoping to throw him off in the process.

"W-What?!" Cross blurted out, his focus on their contest faltering just as the daemon had hoped while purple streaked across his face. Taking advantage of the situation, Nightmare put all of his strength into his one arm and managed to push his soulmate's hand over, celebrating at the relative ease of his win once the other was distracted. "What?! No, no fair! You cheated!"

"Oh come on, how is you getting distracted and being a sore loser the same as me cheating?"

"You said that just to throw me off!"

"No I didn't," the daemon said, shaking his head and remaining calm. "If I'd wanted to throw you off, then I would've asked for sex." The fact that he said that without shame made a nearby customer quickly scurry away, just as red in the face as Cross was purple. "A date is truly what I intended on asking for, but the key word is 'ask'. I'm not gonna make you go on a date with me if you really don't want to."

He added that last part in as he didn't want to come across as a jerk, though part of him was now seriously regretting it as he saw the conflicted look on his soulmate's face. Still, he wasn't going to go back on his word and suddenly say that a date was his mandatory prize, especially when he'd admittedly tried to distract him in order to win. Once again he saw his soulmate's focus suddenly shift away from him and to the side, as if focusing on something that wasn't there. Maybe that was it though, maybe his focus was on someone who wasn't here, namely his brother. "I-I'm sorry," Cross muttered, his gaze falling to the table as he finally pulled his arm back with Nightmare doing the same. "I'm really flattered that you'd want to ask me out, but..."

"Is this about your brother?" The daemon blurted out, seeing an even more conflicted expression sweep over the smaller skeleton's face. "I mean I get it if you don't want to go out because your brother's in the hospital, I've got brothers of my own so I know how they can take priority when they're in trouble."

"... Yeah, I bet you do," he mumbled, seriously confusing the taller by what he even meant by that comment. Yet when he asked for clarification, all he got for an answer was silence as Cross suddenly stood up and stalked out of the door.

Not wanting to lose him again, Nightmare hastily got to his feet and chased after him. "Cross, wait! If I said something to upset you, then I'm sorry!" He called after him, only to freeze at the look in his soulmate's eyes when he spun around to face him. "Your eyes... they scream murder... you're going after the bastard that hurt him, aren't you?"

Hearing him respond so calmly about such a topic seemed to throw him off, surprise evident on his face before being replaced with the same hostile suspicion as when he first approached him. "And? What if I am?"

"Then I'd happily offer you a hand in taking him down." Once again he seemed to surprise the other, taking that as his chance to advance with a confident grin on his face. "You know how strong I am, and while you're definitely one of the strongest monsters I know, having backup is never a bad thing, is it? Besides, I'll never pass up a chance to kick some ass, especially if it means I get to hurt humans."

"... You really aren't like everyone else, are you?" He sighed, his posture slouching a bit and losing much of the stress contained within it. "You came running out here to ask me on a date, and now you're wanting to help me commit murder," he mumbled lowly so that no one else would catch on to the conversation. "What kind of sane person does that?"

"I never said I was sane, did I?" The daemon countered with a grin, having to admit that his sudden jump in priorities was a bit weird. "I mean there's nothing saying I can't go for both. We call it a date, and if things go well maybe I could take you somewhere more romantic for a second date!"

For a moment all he got in response was a strange look at his proposition, before Cross just burst out laughing. "God, you really are insane! But... sane people are kinda boring anyways." Both of them chuckled at his statement, a faint hint of lilac tinting his cheekbones once their laughter subsided and the monochrome skeleton looked him straight in the eyes. "Alright you win, only because I'm curious to see how this 'date' will go."

The smaller quickly rifled in his pockets for a moment before pulling out his phone, unlocking it and holding it out to the purple skeleton who shot it a strange look as he was confused by the simple gesture. "Put your number in it dummy, can't exactly plan things if I can't get in contact with you," he explained with a chuckle, Nightmare frantically snatching the device with no small amount of embarrassment. "You haven't done this before, have you?"

"Killing someone, yes. Going on a date, nope," the taller answered, not looking up from the phone until he was finished as he was admittedly unwilling to meet Cross' gaze right away. "Is it that obvious?" He asked in return with a sheepish smile as he handed the phone back, watching him fiddle with it before feeling his own phone vibrate in his pocket.

He pulled it out and checked, seeing that it was a test message from the other skeleton. Saving the other's number, he looked up at the laughter directed at his question. "Just a little bit, yeah." The monochrome skeleton put his phone away, sending him a smile as he started to walk off. "Well, guess I'll see ya around Nightmare, looking forward to our 'date'. And nice bracelet by the way, it's cute." That drew the daemon's attention to the fact that him waving goodbye had caused his sleeve to fall down around his elbow and reveal the piece of jewelry, causing his face to go bright purple once Cross turned his back and continued walking away, occasionally glancing beside himself and almost looking like he was talking to himself. At least he wasn't the only one that was a bit insane.

"Why did he have to make it a bracelet?" He grumbled, glaring at the disguised weapon that could've easily taken a more masculine form. "Why not something like dog tags? Or a watch? Or anything that isn't jewelry?" Once his flustered state subsided, the daemon found himself filled with joy for the first time in a long time. He'd finally met his soulmate, and not only had he landed a sort-of-date with him but they seemed like a perfect match for each other! Both of them were physically tough and unyielding from the looks of things, making him even more excited for how their date would go as he'd likely get to see the smaller in action. Hopefully he was just as talented of a fighter as him, though being slightly less so would also be acceptable as it would increase his ability to show off and protect him. Plus with both of them admittedly a little nuts, he could only see their inevitable future dates being just as crazy.

With a blissful sigh the lovestruck skeleton headed back in the direction of the hospital, remembering that he'd completely abandoned his brothers in pursuit of Cross. The walk there almost seemed more pleasant though, the sun just bright enough to cast everything in a positive light while not being hard on the normally nocturnal daemon's eyes. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, and everything finally seemed to be going his way.

Since he was taking his time to enjoy his newfound happiness and how it changed his perception of the world around him, his walk back took longer than expected but he eventually made it back without even getting lost. Having only a vague idea of where Dream parked, he decided that a simple text was the best option. So he let Killer know that he was waiting at the parking lot exit, waiting a couple minutes before his twin's car rolled up and an audible click could be heard as he unlocked the doors for him to get in.

His good mood must've been obviously giving away what happened, as both turned back to shoot him an eager expression. "So, how did it go? I'm assuming you got him, right? You never smile like that so I'm assuming you got him," Killer rambled as Dream went back to focusing on driving.

"Yeah, I got him," the older daemon answered, giving the frog a high five when it was offered. "I got him something to drink, we went into a coffee shop for a bit to talk, and then we planned what we'd do for our first date when I arm wrestled him into one." He decided to leave out how socially awkward he'd been through about two thirds of the exchange, knowing that the others wouldn't leave him alone if they found out about that.

"Dude, you seriously arm wrestled him into a date? That seems pretty low, even for you."

"You act like I plan on forcing my soulmate to be with me," he grumbled in response, huffing at the accusation before elaborating. "I _asked_ him out, making it very clear that he could refuse if he wanted to. Think I managed to impress him enough that he wanted to give it a shot."

Killer gave a small 'oh' in understanding, quickly grinning at the smoothness that his leader was portraying. "Alright, so spill! Who is he? What's he like?"

"Well, his name is Cross, and-" The octopus was cut off by a gasp coming from his twin, looking to him in concern but unable to see his face from the back seat. "Dream? Everything okay? You... you need to brake! Dream, red light! Brake!" He frantically yelled, seeing that his brother had zoned out and wasn't paying attention to them almost driving full speed into oncoming traffic.

All three of them jolted as the brake pedal was suddenly pressed to the floor, causing the vehicle to lurch to a stop just past the stop line and safely out of danger. That didn't seem to be the source of the muffled sobs now coming from the lighter twin, Killer instantly fussing over his soulmate. "Nightmare," he spoke up, not once looking away from Dream as he did so with a dark tone in his voice. "Your soulmate, were they dressed primarily in black and white? Was their right eye red with a zigzag scar under it? Did he have a golden heart necklace around his neck?"

"Yeah... all of those actually, you just perfectly described him. How do you know what he looks like?" While it was true that they drove past him earlier, all he'd managed to see was a black and white blur from the car and he'd been the only one knowing who to look for. There's no way Killer could've seen the necklace or the scar or his eyes unless he knew him from before.

"That's... Cross is the guy that broke Dream's heart," the frog daemon explained, having to coach the golden skeleton to continue driving when someone started honking behind them. If that was the case and those two were the same skeleton, then his soulmate was the one who had driven Dream to the point of suicide not even two weeks ago. And mentioning that name and the fact that they were destined to be together had just opened up that wound for his twin before dumping a whole mountain of salt in it.

"... Fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I love making the more badass daemons like Error and Nightmare so socially awkward with their soulmates. It's just really funny to me... though that might be because I'm a socially awkward potato and I can relate to that pain so well XD


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title: The Great Sugar Raid at Blue's!
> 
> Sorry for not updating in a while, got so distracted that I kept forgetting to post another chapter here. Through with the drama going on over on Wattpad, I'll probably be posting a lot more regularly in the future.
> 
> And for those of you wanting to see Afterdeath happen now that they're officially the last ship, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer as we check in with all the other ships while Geno's in the hospital.

"Blue, I'm not so sure that this is a good idea," Dust said with obvious nervousness in his tone, looking to the smaller blue skeleton standing next to him as they stood in front of the door to Blue's house.

The smaller huffed, grabbing his companion's hand and dragging him up the porch steps. "Come on, it's going to be fine! My brother's going to love you!"

"B-But how can you know for sure? Maybe I'll drive him crazy and he'll hate me, I drive my own brothers nuts to the point that I've been kicked out multiple times."

"I'm sure because I know my brother, and he's a really chill guy! Some say he's too chill, but I think it'll work in our favour." He turned back to see that Dust still was extremely hesitant about this, causing him to sigh and hold both of the taller skeleton's hands in his own. "It'll be fine, like I've told you many times. Just trust me, please?"

The blue-clad skeleton knew that it was fairly easy to get what he wanted out of Dust if he really asked for it, looking up to the taller with big eyes and a pleading gaze that he knew couldn't be refused. It was the kind of look he gave when he wanted a bite of Dust's ice cream, or a sip of his lemonade, or... honestly any time he wanted something of Dust's that was sweet.

A sigh escaped his companion as he looked away slightly, purple faintly tinging his cheeks as he predictably gave in. "Alright fine, you win. I mean how could I not trust my baby Blue?"

The nickname sent a pleasant warmth through the smaller skeleton's soul, his face lighting up with a smile at his agreement. Unfortunately for Dust, the other person that heard the nickname wasn't nearly as fond of it. "What did you call my brother?" In the short time that Blue had his back turned and Dust had looked away in a slightly flustered state, the door to the house had opened revealing a much taller skeleton in an orange hoodie and an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

One skeleton was happy to see the tall skeleton, the other left petrified by his comment. "Stretch!" Blue blurted out happily, tackling him with a hug and feeling his brother hug him back. "Hey, you don't even smell that much like an ash tray," he commented with a giggle, hearing his brother chuckle at the comment as well.

"Yeah, well you told me you were bringing a friend over after you got done with classes, so I figured that I'd be nice and hold off for a bit. You were taking forever though so I came out to have a smoke, figuring that something had come up."

"Nope! Just couldn't convince the scaredy cat to come up the stairs," Blue teased, shooting a look back at Dust that quickly seemed to snap him out of his earlier state of terror.

"Hey, I am not scared! A bit nervous maybe, but definitely not scared!"

"Says the guy that's been shaking in his boots ever since I stepped outside," Stretch commented dryly, smirking as his words caused Dust to flinch. He promptly ignored the hooded skeleton's attempts to salvage things and seem brave, turning to his brother. "I take it this is the friend that you wanted to bring over?"

"Yep!" With all the enthusiasm of a child showing off their favourite toy, Blue hopped over to where Dust was still trying to find his courage, grabbing hold of his arm, and hugging it tightly. "I'd like you to meet Dust, my boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend?!" Both Stretch and Dust blurted out at once, eyes wide in a similar state of shock at the title. The taller of the two took his unlit smoke out of his mouth, a noticeable dent in one end from his teeth while his tightening grip seemed to be content on making another dent in the once pristine cigarette.

While he wasn't blind to the palpable tension between his brother and his newly declared boyfriend, Blue was content to feign ignorance for the time being and turned his attention to Dust who still seemed to be reeling from his sudden declaration. "What's wrong Dusty? We are boyfriends, right?"

The other's tongue flapped about uselessly for a minute, several uneasy glances being shot at Stretch as he tried to find his words. "Uh... I mean, yeah... um I think... I... um..."

"Do... you not want to be boyfriends?" The smaller hesitantly asked, sadness tinting his tone that he knew was setting off Stretch's 'brother mode' behind him.

"No! I mean... that's not... Yes I want to be your boyfriend!" He suddenly blurted out without taking a breath, looking somewhat terrified of upsetting the smaller further with his fumbled answer.

The sadness vanished nearly instantly as the small skeleton's usual grin returned, once again grabbing hold of Dust's hand and pulling him towards the now open door that his brother was standing in. "Great! Then it's settled, we're dating now! Isn't that great Stretch? I'm in a relationship before you!"

The orange skeleton's anger dropped immediately once he became the subject of his brother's focus, a relaxed chuckle coming from him as he calmly stepped back inside while allowing enough room for the pair to come inside. "What can I say bro? You are pretty amazing after all. Not surprised that you beat me to it."

"I am pretty great, aren't I?" Blue laughed, allowing his brother to inflate his ego as he dragged Dust inside behind him. "Welcome to my home Dusty! Make yourself comfortable and let me know if you want anything. I can give you the grand tour if you want."

"Um..." The taller of the two trailed off as he caught a glare thrown at him by Stretch as they passed by him, hearing the door close with a bit more force than necessary before turning his focus back to Blue. "Sure, a tour sounds nice."

"Great! It'll be just the two of us!" The blue skeleton clapped his hands together, shooting his hostile brother a look to get him to back off a bit. All the other skeleton did was scoff as he wandered off, likely to find something that he could vent his frustration on.

"He... doesn't seem to really like me," Dust pointed out, still quite nervous around the orange-clad skeleton, which made sense considering the open disapproval that was being shown.

Blue's typical smile fell, a sigh escaping him as he watched his brother disappear downstairs. "He's just...a bit overprotective of me sometimes. He's afraid of losing me too, and I know that, so I really can't hold it against him."

"Losing you too? What do you mean by that?"

Instead of answering right away, Blue led him over to a shelf that was just out of reach given his short height, pointing to a photo in between two urns. The photo showed four skeletons, one obviously Blue given the kid's blue star-shaped eyes and huge smile. Another was standing right next to him, one that the small skeleton could easily recognize as his brother given that same relaxed smile that he'd had ever since they were kids. Two other skeletons stood behind the brothers, hands on their shoulders and big smiles on their faces. He could still remember how his dad had promptly stuck his tongue out for the next photo, the cameraman capturing the look of disappointment on his mother's face before the next photo captured the moment right before his dad had gotten punched in the face for his shenanigans.

"Our parents died when we were pretty young, killed by a bunch of humans simply because they were monsters. Dad was a jokester but had a huge heart, taking care of the two of us and the house while Mom worked hard to make ends meet and give the two of us a happy life. They never hurt anyone in their lives, never even knew how to use magic, and yet humans still saw fit to take them from us because they looked different," he explained bitterly, obvious anger tinting his words. He'd never forgiven humanity for taking them away, nor had his brother. Even after all these years, that hatred towards humans was still strong in both of them.

"Stretch and I have been on our own ever since then, relying only on each other to survive in a world that would've rather seen us dead. And because we worked together, we managed to beat the odds and survive. We've stayed close ever since, but sometimes Stretch gets a little too protective of me. Like I said, I can't fault him, I don't know how either of us would survive if one of us lost the other, but occasionally I do need to get him to back off. It's nothing personal against you, he just gets like this sometimes, especially when I bring someone new into our little world. You should've seen how he first reacted to my friends when I brought them over, it was pretty much the same situation. Honestly I think he sometimes forgets that he's the younger one."

"Wait, you're the older brother?" Dust blurted out, looking completely shocked by that little tidbit.

Blue merely turned to him with a very unimpressed look on his face. "Really? After everything I said, _that's_ what you choose to comment on?"

"Well... I mean the rest is... um... just the height difference and..."

"Yes. I'm short. I thought that point was already established."

"But... he's like way taller than you, like..." The hooded skeleton started moving his hands around to try and gauge the approximate height difference between the two.

"He's exactly a foot and a half taller than me, but last I checked you don't always have to be younger to be shorter."

Dust looked about ready to comment on the matter again until he looked down and caught his boyfriend's expression, closing his mouth again as a sign of dropping it before turning to the picture and the two urns, one bearing 'Mom' and the other inscribed with 'Dad'. "Did... did those humans get what they deserved?"

Blue was silent for a moment as he recalled that night all those years ago, the blood and dust littering the floor at his feet. "Yeah, they did." The somber mood hung in the air for a bit longer before the normally cheerful skeleton pushed the depressing memories out his head, smiling as he turned to the taller. "Well then, did you still want me to give you a tour of the place?"

Apparently, his smile was enough to get Dust to rebound to his usual energy too, the hooded skeleton lighting up and nodding his head at the suggestion. So Blue happily started leading him around the house, explaining anything and everything that caught either of their attentions. To him it seemed like his boyfriend was getting distracted by the weirdest things, but that weirdness was part of what he loved about him. Dust was never afraid to be himself it seemed, always so confident in whatever path he set himself on. From the stories he'd heard, his sometimes single-minded nature had gotten him into trouble, especially with his family when they thought his chosen course of action was foolish or downright stupid, but Blue admired how devoted he could be to whatever he set his soul to.

He started them off in the kitchen, explaining where various things were before lamenting how his brother hid any sort of sugary items onto the top shelves where he couldn't reach even with a chair. "You have no idea how many times I've tried too," he grumbled, expecting to see disappointment on his boyfriend's face but instead seeing mischief dance in his mismatched eyes. "Dusty, what are you planning?"

The taller skeleton's eyes suddenly darted around the kitchen as if he was trying to see everything at once before a devilish grin appeared on his face, Dust rubbing his hands together as his apparent plan seemed to work. "Oh, I'm getting you those sugary goodies, no way am I giving up until we both get something sweet!"

"Wow, you're already a lot more helpful than my friends," he laughed, recalling how all of them had it out for him and his hyperactive love of sweets. "Half of them are easily tall enough to reach even Stretch's best hiding spots if they use a chair, but none of them want to deal with me after I've had sugar, so they always refuse! I've tried everything I can think of to convince them and it never works."

The hooded skeleton merely brushed that off with a scoff, already pulling a chair over but not near the cabinets that held their prize. "How could I not get sweets for my sweet baby Blue? I mean what kind of new boyfriend would I be if I didn't spoil you?"

"Aww, Dusty you don't have to do that-"

"Maybe not, but I want to," the taller said as he cut off Blue's attempts to assure him that this wasn't necessary. The hooded skeleton immediately started messing with some of the lower shelves. When asked what he was doing he simply said, "Testing how strong these are, need to know if I can hang from them or stand on them."

"Hang or stand on the shelves?" Blue echoed as Dust used the chair to get onto the counter with relative ease, instead heading for a metal rod above the stove where several utensils were hung. He quickly stripped the rod of the items, setting them on the counter before testing that as well. With a look of satisfaction, Blue watched with growing worry for the kitchen as Dust proceeded to pull himself up enough to get his feet onto the metal bar, leaving him crouched onto the small space as he analyzed his next place. "Um Dusty, what are you doing?" he asked again, this time with a far more nervous tone. Stretch would kill them if something broke because they were trying to get to the sweets.

"Relax, I do stuff like this all the time," the taller threw out in a very relaxed manner, clearly not nearly as worried as the blue-clad skeleton was. Before the smaller could comment on his action again or how his reassurance wasn't reassuring at all, Dust easily opened a nearby cabinet and grabbed hold of one of the shelves inside for balance, moving to stand on the bar before moving one of his feet to stand on a shelf just a bit below his handhold. "It's a really good thing that skeletons don't really weigh much, otherwise I'd be a lot more worried about breaking stuff. Now comes the fun part!"

Dust proceeded to scale around the kitchen to where the best goodies were held, carefully opening and closing doors as he went and making places for his hands and feet while not doing any kind of damage. And as Blue watched his careful movements that brought him closer and closer to their prize, he found his own nervousness giving way to excitement. "Oh, oh! Grab the chocolate caramel cookies! They're the best!" He blurted out as soon as dust opened the corner cabinet and started rifling around.

As he pulled out the requested cookie box, the taller skeleton tossed them to his boyfriend who easily managed to catch them. Just as he was about to rip into the box and shove one of the delectable goodies in his mouth though, he heard further rustling before another box of cookies was thrown his way. The look of confusion on his face must've been obvious, as Dust merely smirked as he dove right back in. "Who said we need to stop at one? I say we grab as many as we can, and you can be the one to hide them this time!"

That idea sparked a half hour of scaling cupboards and raiding Stretch's sugar stashes, Blue avoiding the huge temptation to eat anything so that he could focus on catching whatever Dust was throwing him. By the time they were done the stashes were empty, boxes of cookies and candy all over the place as Dust made sure that there was no evidence of his little excursion, even taking care to return the utensils he'd pulled down from the rod in the same order that he'd taken them down in. "Wow, you really have done this before," the blue-clad skeleton commented with a chuckle, looking to their prizes as his boyfriend nimbly jumped down and put the chair back.

"Told ya! So, where's the best place to hide these that your brother won't find them?"

"Well... he had several shelves full of stuff, so I don't know if I could stash these all in one place... How about this? We find places to hide them all over the house while I'm giving you the rest of the tour!" When he got nothing but agreement for his idea, the smaller went to work digging a hole into the back of one of the shelves at the bottom, one that Stretch rarely used given how hard it was for him to get there without practically laying on the floor. Just as he was about to store the first items in there, he grinned as he quickly fished out two pieces of each candy before shoving it in its new home. He shoved half of them in his pocket, Dust quickly getting the hint and grabbing his half to shove into his pocket for later enjoyment.

Next stop was the living room. The pair purposefully avoided the shelf that held the remains of Blue's parents in favour of exploring the many other items present. And of course, the two spent a decent amount of time trying to find a place that stretch wouldn't go looking into. "Thankfully my brother's a slob, I have to specifically tell him to clean up certain things or it never gets done. And he always makes a point of leaving at least one sock randomly in here just because he knows that it annoys me. I only clean it up if it starts to smell too bad, and next time I come in there's always a new one in its place!"

"Wow, that's... kind of gross, but good news for your stash! Does he ever clean under the couch?" Dust suggested, making a point of avoiding the sock laying on the floor in favour of finding hiding spots.

The smaller merely chuckled as he started pulling candy out of bags and carefully shoving only items with sealable packaging under the couch. "Nope, he definitely does not. Good idea, if I start rifling under here, he'll just think that I'm cleaning or looking to see if something ended up here, so there's no way he'd get suspicious!"

With the living room stash now full he led the way to the bathroom. It wasn't that special, nothing really of interest save for maybe a rubber duck at the edge of the bathtub, but there was one cabinet there that held strictly cleaning supplies. Blue carefully pushed all the cleaning supplies to one side before pulling out a plastic tote with a lid and dumping goodies in, not wanting any of them to possibly come into contact with chemicals. Still, Stretch never opened this cabinet unless he absolutely had to, so Blue would just 'give up' asking him to use the cleaners since he always put up such a fight.

The three major main floor rooms were now taken care of, leaving upstairs and the basement. Since Stretch was still pouting downstairs they couldn't head down there, but there were still places upstairs that they could hide things as well as areas to show his boyfriend, so that's where they went.

"Okay, so my room is at the far end of the hall, we can hide some stuff there, but I know that's going to be where Stretch first looks so we've got to get creative. Speaking of, the room at the other end of the hall is Stretch's, so whatever you do don't go in there," he explained, pointing out the two rooms in question. "The one in the middle was our parents' room, so don't go in there either." Dust nodded to that, clearly not wanting to disturb a space that the brothers could barely bring themselves to enter. "Other than that, there's a guest room that could be a decent hiding place and a smaller upstairs bathroom, so there's plenty of areas that we can shove the rest of the candy."

First was the bathroom, the space far smaller and lacking the designated cleaning cupboard, but with both Stretch and Blue having designated spaces for their stuff the blue-clad skeleton took some of his space for candy while the other items were used to help hide it, including him snagging a spare towel and covering the goodies. Then they went to the guest bedroom, choosing to shove half of the remaining goodies underneath the dresser where it was a similar situation to the couch; too low for Stretch to easily access with no possibility of him trying to clean underneath it, so it proved to be a perfect hiding place.

That left Blue's bedroom as the last stop on the tour and the last hiding place, though something caught Dust's attention and made him stop on the way. "Hey Blue, what's this flag about and why does it look so familiar?" He asked, staring at the piece of fabric that the brothers had hung up on their wall. It was just out of sight from the main floor, and for good reason.

"Oh that? That's the emblem of Ebott's Angels," he calmly explained, seeing the white emblem of the angel that came straight from monsterkind's time in the Underground. The navy-blue background almost looked black in the shadows, adding a far more ominous note to the symbol.

"Wait, Ebott's Angels? Where have I... I got it! That's the pro-monster rights gang that operates in this city!" He blurted out before seeming to realize that his boyfriend had a gang flag hanging up outside of his bedroom door. "So... why do you guys have this?"

"Isn't that a little obvious? We support them. The angels fight for monsters everywhere, against the humans that would rather see us imprisoned back underground even after us living among them for generations. Humans won't protect us; they favour their own and condemn us for the crimes of our birth. The law won't protect us, hell it's built to work against us! So if the angels have to be labelled as criminals to accomplish anything, then I'm all for it. If that makes us criminals for supporting them, then so be it. I don't care, so long as those disgusting humans burn in hell for all they've done to us!" He hadn't realized how much bitterness and hatred had slipped into his tone by the end of his rant, a little surprised that he hadn't been able to hold back as he looked to see Dust was in just as much shock as he was. "Dusty, I..." he trailed off, not knowing how to explain his little outburst. Everyone always saw him as so happy and cheerful, but humans always brought out a completely different side of him, one that was the complete opposite of his typical personality. He couldn't deny his hatred, nor would he try to, but normally he could keep a better lid on these things. Even when his friends had seen the flag and asked about it, he'd managed to calmly and happily discuss how he was supportive of monsters that wanted to fight for the betterment of all monsterkind, even if he didn't agree with the violence that they sometimes used. But this was about as far away from that explanation as possible... even if it was way closer to the truth.

What would his boyfriend think of him? Would he hate him for not being perfect and happy all the time? Would he- His spiralling thoughts were cut off as he was pulled into a hug, looking to the taller is surprise and fear. "Baby Blue, what's that look for? What, you scared I'm gonna leave you because of that little outburst?" When he offered a nod yes as an answer, the joking tone immediately died in Dust's voice, being replaced with a gentle yet serious one. "Blue, I'm not going to leave you, not now and not ever, especially not over you getting mad about a bunch of humans. Honestly I agree, humans are trash and the bulk of them could go jump off a cliff for all I care... Honestly I was a bit worried that you wouldn't approve of my own strong opinions on humans, you always seem so..."

"Nice?" The smaller supplied when his boyfriend seemed to struggle to come up with the word he wanted. "Innocent?"

"Yeah, that one! You... you honestly don't seem like the kind of person capable of hating others, but I guess everyone has their likes and dislikes. I'm just glad that we can agree that most humans are awful, and if these guys are fighting against awful humans then they got my support too," the hooded skeleton confidently declared as he jutted a finger at the flag on the wall. "Hey, do you happen to know where I can get myself one of these flags? They're pretty cool, think I might hang one up in my room back home."

The blue-clad skeleton let out a giggle at Dust's eagerness to suddenly have a flag of his own, giving it some thought before pulling him towards his room. "You know, I think I might have a spare that I can give you if you want, I think my friends would get worried that I was actually in the gang or something if I hung it up in my room. That, and my friend Ink would probably get mad if I took up wall space with something that wasn't some of his art."

Dust let out a chuckle at his words, probably about to make some smartass comment about his little baby Blue being in some tough and dangerous gang before his words caught in his throat at the sight of Blue's bedroom. To say the walls were covered in Ink's art was honestly a bit of an understatement, and the worst part was that the smaller knew that this was only a fraction of what he actually had. The artist shared an apartment with Dream, and any sort of wall space was a premium. Only the best pieces were allowed in common areas and they needed to be framed and neatly arranged. But both roommates' bedrooms were plastered in doodles that put professionals to shame as well as some nicer pieces that just weren't nice enough to make it into the main collection. Ink's room always looked like an art bomb went off that threw paper and supplies everywhere, and their friend always saw fit to bring the extras over with him whenever he came into their rooms, proceeding to tack the extras that didn't fit into his chaos over some of his older work. So yeah, he really didn't have room for the spare flag in his closet.

"You... weren't kidding," was all Dust managed to mumble as he was pulled in, examining the various pieces that he could see as Blue went searching. "Holy crap your friend is amazing! Did he really do all of these?"

"Yep! This isn't even his whole collection; he just brings over whatever doesn't fit in his and Dream's apartment and just sticks it anywhere he sees even the smallest speck of wallpaper. Nowadays I think he's just trying to cover up his old drawings that don't look as good to him anymore, even if they're all still amazing." A moment more of rustling in the closet passed before he found the piece of fabric that he was looking for, brushing it off before carefully pulling out the folded square so that it didn't fall open. "There! Found you, you little devil! I knew I had a spare!" He promptly held it out for Dust to take, the taller hesitating for a moment before accepting the gift.

"Gee, Blue I really don't know what to say, now I wish I had a gift for you. Thanks."

"Don't worry about it, you helped me get all the sweets down, didn't you? The least I can do is give you the flag since I'm not using it."

"Yeah, but you're also sharing some of the sweets with me-"

"Because you're an awesome boyfriend and totally deserve it!" he blurted out, deciding to simply shove the remaining goodies into his closet where the flag had been after pulling out the last of their treats, hopping over to his bed where he spread everything out to decide what he was trying first. "Come on Dusty, it's snack time!"

Laughing at the smaller skeleton's childish antics, Dust joined him and pulled out everything from his pockets, getting just as silly as the two of them pigged out on their collections and told a bunch of dumb jokes. With Stretch still avoiding the two and giving them their space, they were free to enjoy their now semi-official date, telling stories and eventually heading back downstairs where they debated watching a movie or playing video games for an hour until Dust got a text that interrupted their plans before they could decide on anything. The sugar probably wasn't helping their indecisiveness, or how frustrated the smaller was getting at not being the center of attention now.

Blue watched as his boyfriend's expression quickly grew annoyed, leading to him frantically typing on his phone while the smaller had to resist the urge to peek over his shoulder. "Crap, I gotta go," the hooded skeleton eventually muttered with a sigh, clearly not wanting to leave just yet. "For some reason the guys all decided to nominate me to get all their crap despite me saying that I'm busy. Seriously, why me? Why not Mr. Depresso who can't even pull his sorry ass off the couch right now? He's definitely not doing anything but moping!"

"Aw, that sucks," Blue agreed, unable to keep from pouting as their fun together was suddenly cut short. "Well, do you have to run errands tomorrow? If not, you could come back over, and we can spend the night deciding what we want to do! Who knows, maybe Stretch will even be sociable enough to make a guest appearance and not try to scare you half to death!"

"Yeah, that sounds great! Everything except the part about me having to interact with your brother!" Dust declared, already cheering up even if the mention of Blue's younger brother still seemed to make him nervous. "Alright, it's a date! Now I can tell everyone to fuc... dge off!"

"Dust, you don't need to do that. I'm not so sensitive that you have to hold back from saying curses just because I try to avoid using them," he pointed out, laughing at the splash of colour suddenly on the hooded skeleton's cheeks. After getting a muffled 'okay' from him, Blue led his boyfriend to the door, still somewhat disappointed that their fun was being cut short but understanding that he needed to go and take care of those errands so that they could spend tomorrow together without issue. "Whatever happens, make sure your brothers know that you're mine tomorrow, got it?"

"Man, assertive looks good on you," the taller commented with a chuckle, agreeing to his words as both of them were left blushing from the quick exchange. "Bye baby Blue," Dust said as he bent down, placing a kiss on his cheek that the smaller quickly returned before he could pull away. Even if they were just on the cheek, they still filled him with happiness as he waved goodbye to his boyfriend.

"Bye Dusty!" He called, about to head back inside and tell his brother that it was safe to come out when a disgusted scoff caught his attention. When he turned back around, he could see a woman across the street, a boy that looked to be her child sitting in the wheelchair that she was pushing... wait, that chair...

"Honestly, what is this world coming to?" The blonde's snarky remark brought his attention back to her, though he could already feel anger vibrating through his bones as he descended the porch. "Monsters living in this neighbourhood? Thank goodness we only have friends here, though I think I'm going to have to tell them to move. Can't believe they didn't do proper research, and after them telling me all this time that this was such a nice place to live," she scoffed once again, brushing her asymmetrical bangs to the side. "Monsters like you are honestly what's wrong with this world."

"Monsters like me?" Blue growled, his usual cheery disposition nowhere to be found as he stalked down the steps of his home towards the woman. "That's rich coming from a thief like you!"

"Excuse me?!" She screeched, clearly insulted by the skeleton's words. "How dare you accuse me of being a thief you little wretch! You don't even have a shred of proof-"

"Let me stop you right there you bitch," Blue hissed as he interrupted her, continuing before she could open her mouth to scream at him some more. "I know that chair your little hellspawn is in was stolen, because it belongs to one of my best friends!"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about, my boy needs this chair that we got from the hospital," she tried to say, only for Blue to stop her once again.

"Bullshit and you know it! My friend purposefully decorated the chair with his favourite colours since it was _his_ chair!" He gestured to the wheels with their red rims and white rubber, the handles and seats that were a bright cherry red, and how the metal had been painstakingly painted by hand to be pure white. "Another of my friends was the one who painted the fucking thing!" He could clearly recall how excited Ink had been to offer to paint the chair white for Geno, how emotional the frail skeleton had gotten when they'd all pooled resources together to hunt down the rest of the accessories for him to truly make it his chair.

While the blue-clad skeleton only grew more heated, the woman seemed to find her voice once again and begin shouting back. "Don't you dare fucking curse in front of my child you disgusting monster!" Before he could snidely point out how she'd just done the same thing, the woman adopted a sneer as she crossed her arms and began radiating an aura of smugness. "Look, even if this chair belonged to your friend, what are you going to do about it? You're just a weak monster, and you know as well as I do that if you attack me for the chair, you'll be the one punished while I get away completely free. Face it, your choices are either back off and let me take my son for a walk or try to take the chair and end up in jail for theft."

While he wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off her face, the bitch was right. If he tried to take the chair, then he'd automatically be assumed to be the one in the wrong even if he had years worth of photo evidence that proved that the chair belonged to Geno. And if it became a battle in the courts, odds were against him there too. There was no way he could win this, not here anyways, so he bit his tongue to keep from doing anything stupid and stalked off.

The woman's victorious laughter was seriously pushing the boundaries of his self control though, her smug voice forcing him to stop right in front of the steps to his house. "Ha, you're just as weak and spineless as that pathetic friend of yours! My husband told me all about how weak he was, how he practically broke like a twig when he was ripped out of his precious wheelchair. I know I heard the wail of sirens heading off in the direction of the hospital, I can only imagine how much pain he was in after what my husband told me. You monsters are all so spineless, just a bunch of cowards, and that's why you'll never be an equal to humanity!"

Geno was in the hospital? Blue didn't know that; Cross hadn't said anything over the group chats to confirm or deny the woman's words. But one look over his shoulder said all he needed to hear. She was far too confident and smug to be making this up, hell she didn't seem to even be smart enough to pull off a ruse like this well enough considering how she practically openly admitted to her husband being responsible for one of his closest friends being hospitalized with what sounded like extremely severe injuries.

The blue-clad skeleton slowly turned so that he could see her, visibly shaking in rage but not taking a step towards her. "I hope for your son's sake that he's not around when justice comes for you. The angels will judge your crimes and condemn you to hell, I'll make sure of that."

The mother seemed visibly disturbed by the twisted grin on Blue's face, her child blubbering and asking if they could leave now because he didn't like the 'scary monster'. "You act like you have some connection to heaven," she grumbled, her grip on the chair tightening to where Blue could see her knuckles going slightly white. "What are you, a priest? Didn't even know your kind believed in God and angels."

Laughter was what answered her words, a tinge of insanity clinging to the sound that reminded the skeleton about how Dust had acted when they first met. "Oh hell no, priests are supposed to pure bastions of goodness or some junk like that. No, I'd consider myself to be more of a demon than anything, one who happens to know quite a few angels who have fallen and are eager to judge the wicked such as you. So, sleep tight you bitch, if the angels of hell don't come for you, then maybe the _monster_ under your bed will get you first." He didn't give her a chance to respond, storming up the steps before slamming the door shut and heading straight for the basement.

Unsurprisingly he found Stretch having a cigarette down there as it was the only place in the house that he could smoke indoors. "Oh, all done with your little date?" He asked the smaller without even looking, only to jump at the yell of pure frustration and the following thump as Blue slammed his fists repeatedly into the punching bag suspended by a chain from the ceiling.

"Stupid fucking bitch!" He yelled as he repeatedly hit the bag, putting everything he had, including the excess sugar energy, into his punches. "Stupid thieving whore! Stupid scared crotch goblin! Stupid fucking husband! Stupid Cross! Stupid-"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Stretch called as he grabbed the bag, effectively stealing his brother's attention. "Blue, what's gotten into you? It's been a long time since I've heard you swear this much at home. Was it that stupid boyfriend of yours? Because if so, I can go-"

"It wasn't him," the older of the two sighed, his initial anger subsiding for the moment but not his desire for revenge. "No, just as he left, I notice some bitch on the other side of the street with her brat in _Geno's_ wheelchair! She practically admitted to taking it! And on top of it she tried taunting me by saying her fucking husband hospitalized Geno in order to get it! And the cherry on top is that I know she wasn't lying, but stupid Cross never said a fucking thing! Like what the fuck?!"

Stretch's eyes went wide as he took his cigarette out and fully processed why his brother was so mad. "Shit," was all he said at first, sighing as he put his smoke out and tried to think of where to even begin. "And... what did you do? Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid."

"Trust me, it took every bit of my self-restraint to keep from smashing my fist through that smug grin of hers. In the end all I ended up doing was promising that the angels would be the ones to judge her actions." He looked up to meet his brother's gaze, knowing that the taller would get the true meaning behind those words while the woman would remain blind to them.

Stretch's usually calm attitude vanished and took on a note of seriousness, nodding at the blue-clad skeleton's words. "Do you happen to know who the angels should be visiting?"

"No, but if they're stupid enough to keep walking around with Geno's wheelchair then it won't be hard to find them," he commented, his brother making a comment that affirmed how unique the chair was. "Besides, Cross must know what the hell happened considering that Geno's rarely out on his own. I gotta phone him anyways and ask why he never thought to tell any of us that Geno ended up in the hospital." Even if the monochrome skeleton didn't know about whatever led up to his brother being hospitalized, he was Geno's emergency contact and so would definitely be made aware of his current health situation.

The orange-clad skeleton nodded, heading towards the staircase leading out of the basement. "Alright, well make your little phone call and I'll go make some of my own and see what we can come up with. I'm sure that bitch will soon realize that she messed with the wrong skeleton." Just as he placed a foot on the first step though, the younger brother halted and looked back to him. "By the way, how was your little date?"

The simple question reminded Blue of how much fun he'd been having with Dust before that woman ruined his amazing day, smiling at the fond memories of their first time together as official boyfriends. "It was really nice, and we had a lot of fun. Hopefully next time you'll be willing to join us and properly meet him," Blue admitted, really wanting his brother and boyfriend to be able to get along.

Stretch merely chuckled and shrugged at the far more positive response. "I'll make no promises to liking the guy, but I guess I can give him a shot. If just thinking about him is enough to calm you down, then I can only imagine how happy he makes you." With that the younger of the two headed upstairs, leaving Blue alone with his thoughts for a bit longer.

He didn't want to call Cross right away, knowing that even with his earlier date filling his thoughts he'd still be too angry to properly make that phone call. All his friends practically thought that it was impossible for their normally peppy and cheery friend to ever get angry like this, in fact he could probably count the number of times he'd swore in front of them on one hand. Maybe he could have some of the sugary sweets he and Dust snagged to help calm his nerves? They would probably make him think of his boyfriend that was just as sweet too, and just like Stretch pointed out his boyfriend had quite the calming effect on his temper.

As if his thoughts about his brother and sugar could predict the future though, Blue jumped as the door to the basement was thrown open and a visibly annoyed Stretch stood at the top of the stairs. "Blue, where the hell did all of the sweets go?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making the happy-go-lucky characters put a sailor's mouth to shame is always really entertaining to me :)
> 
> What did you guys think of that glimpse into blue's dark side? And which side of him is the 'real' Blue?


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the nerdiest chapter I've written so far, and of course I pick a video game I've never played to base most of the nerdy stuff off of. So hopefully I got things right! There's also some of my favourite moments in the story so far in this chapter, I'm sure you'll be able to find them!

"Fell, hurry up! They're getting away!" Sci had shouted at him, furiously yet skillfully pressing keys on his own keyboard while the daemon resorted to button mashing. They were playing Titanfall and were playing together on the same team, each using one of the two computers in Sci's dorm room since the smaller skeleton's techno-geek nature had been all the justification Sci had needed to have two different computers. A member of the enemy team was currently being chased down by the two of them, and despite Sci being turned away from Fell and focusing on the screen on his desk while the taller was on the other side of the room due to space constraints, the scientist was barking orders left and right in an effort to catch them. Fell had learned early on to trust any and all instructions given to him by his soulmate, as the smaller skeleton had logged over hundreds of hours playing the game.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" The cat daemon had growled, looking up ahead at where he was being led by his teammate. "How the fuck do you do the wall strafe thingy?!"

"Doesn't matter, there's a reason you're piloting the titan. Now hurry up and shoot that bastard before he gets a titan of his own!" The pair had kept running after them, Fell continuously shooting whenever he was sure that Sci wouldn't be hit. At one point Sci rounded the corner in pursuit, only to freeze on the spot before turning back around to face the friendly titan lumbering after him. "Fell, eject right now!"

While he didn't think that he'd sustained too much damage, the daemon did as he was told and ejected, watching the anti-titan weapons fired at him from behind and blowing it shortly after he managed to get to safety. "Thanks for the save," he huffed, turning his attention to the other pilots that were now shooting at the two of them.

"No problem babe," Sci had said without hesitation, causing his teammate to completely freeze up and feel his face flush red at the nickname. He'd avoided using anything affectionate despite his desire to move their relationship to the next step, knowing that the two of them hadn't really known each other too long. The distraction had been enough for him to be overrun, quickly gunned down and eliciting a string of curses from the amateur player.

Apparently the scientist wasn't happy about him being killed, whether that was simply his competitive streak or related to his earlier use of 'babe'. Either way, Sci was clearly ready to rain hell down on the enemy team, calling his own titan down and proceeding to wipe the floor with them all in the time it took Fell to respawn and get back.

The game round ended shortly after, and thanks to Sci's last minute push they'd managed to get enough kills for their team to come out on top of the deathmatch. "Woo! Take that you noobs, get wrecked!" The smaller cheered, the daemon grinning at his enthusiasm as he pushed away from his own keyboard, a silent sign that he needed a break. "You're getting better babe, I'm sure if you keep practicing then the two of us will soon be unstoppable! Wait... why are you blushing?" He asked, the second use of the affectionate nickname leaving the edgy skeleton bright red in the face while the other remained completely clueless as to the cause.

"You... y-you c-called me babe," Fell simply said, stuttering slightly as he wasn't quite sure how he should feel. On one hand he was elated, wanting to see this as a sign that they were finally moving past friends, but at the same time he didn't want to get his hopes up in case it was a simple slip of the tongue or held some significance other than romantic affection to the smaller.

Sci blinked a couple times, as if processing the daemon's words, before his face erupted in bright green as he realized what he'd said. "O-Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I-I don't know where t-that came from, it j-just slipped out! I-I just... you weren't saying it so..." The scientist trailed off as he realized that he'd made another remark of a similar nature that left him hiding and quietly yelling into his hands. "O-Oh god, oh jeez, I-I'm so, so sorry. What's gotten into me today?!"

Now it was Fell's turn to process what had been said, his face turning an impossibly deeper shade of scarlet as he managed to piece everything together. Sci really did want to move things along, just like he did! Before he could think of anything else, he lunged to his feet, hugging his soulmate into his chest as he celebrated that they could finally ditch being friends and be something more. "If you wanted me to call you babe, all you had to do was say something. Though if you don't mind, I might mix in sweetheart or something like that every once in a while."

"W-What?" The timid skeleton asked, finally pulling his hands away to look up at the skeleton currently hugging him and revealing the bright emerald hue across his cheeks that only seemed to darken with every passing minute. "Really? I-It's not t-too soon or something like that? I-I don't wanna make you uncomfortable o-or anything..."

"Sweetheart, that's the exact reason why I haven't called you anything like that yet. Didn't know if you were ready so I figured that I could wait." He'd waited so long to find his soulmate in the first place, so he figured that he could wait until Sci was explicitly ready for the next step. And damn did it feel good to finally be there.

The smaller took a moment to process that before excitedly hugging back, the pair giggling as they let their awkward and flustered states each subside before continuing. "And here I thought that I was jumping the gun by wanting you to call me babe," he chuckled, scratching a bit at his cheek. "So does this mean that I get to call you anything special now?"

"Well I guess that'd be fair babe," he admitted, making sure to use the newly approved title considering it seemed to make his soulmate quite happy.

"Alright, Edgy Mc My Chemical Romance," the smaller snickered, Fell opening his mouth and closing it repetitively in response to the title.

"Okay first off, I was expecting something that wasn't a joke. Second, My Chemical Romance is heavily overrated and Panic! at the Disco is so much better," huffed as he stepped away, playing up an indignant tone as he pretended to suddenly care about his music preferences.

"Sure thing, Edgy Mc Panic at the Disco... I chime in with a haven't you ever heard of..."

"Closing the goddamn door!" Fell immediately belted out, watching as Sci eagerly shot to his feet.

Without even wasting a beat, the pair immediately moved to the next line of the song, never breaking eye contact as the practically yelled the lyrics. "No, it's much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality!" They didn't manage to get anything further though as both of them broke out into laughter, hearing someone down the hall carry on and scream out the next line of the song. That only caused more laughter, Sci actually doubling over for a moment before they both managed to get a grip over their giggles.

"Oh! I just remembered something!" The smaller blurted out, the cat daemon watching curiously as he bent down and rummaged in the bottom drawer of his desk for something. How he managed to keep everything so organized in this room was beyond him, as the only things that weren't immaculately clean were a few random piles of papers held down by either some sort of academic book or a half-finished robot. But that organization meant that Fell wasn't kept waiting much longer, watching as Sci spun around to face him, still on one knee with something clasped between his hands and the scientist's signature green blush plastered across his face. Wait, wait, wait! He just got the permission to call Sci babe, were they going to skip straight to a proposal?!

Oblivious to what the daemon was assuming, Sci continued on with what he was doing, including a little speech that only further cemented the idea of what this was in Fell's mind. "Look, I know we haven't really known each other for very long, but I really like you... _like_ like you. And once I thought about doing this, I couldn't get it out of my head."

 _Oh god, he really was going to propose! What do I do?! What do I say?!_ Fell thought to himself, his internal panic going unnoticed as the smaller continued, gazing fondly at what had to be a small box clasped in his hands.

"I hope this isn't too forward of me or that I'm not making this awkward..."

_Forget you being awkward, I'm gonna be the one that'll be a mess!_

"But... Oh god I really hope you say yes..."

_What the fuck should I say?!_

"Will you..."

_Think Fell, think! He's about to say it, you need to have your answer ready!_

"Make me the happiest nerd alive..."

_To be honest I always thought that I'd be the one to propose... no, focus! He's doing it! Get ready!_

"And go to the upcoming comic convention with me?" As he said this, the smaller opened his hands and held out the VIP guest pass, grinning widely as he waited for an answer.

Unfortunately for Fell, he'd gotten himself so psyched up that he couldn't stop his mouth from saying exactly what he'd been preparing to say. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

Both froze and silence filled the room as they looked to each other wide-eyed, one out of shock and the other out of horror. It wasn't a proposal. IT WASN'T A PROPOSAL! Both of their faces were suddenly flushed with their signature colours, neither one able to get words out for the longest time as they just stared wide-eyed at each other.

"M-M-M-Marry you?!" Sci eventually managed to stutter out, finally finding his voice. "God, we just got to the point of using pet names, I don't even know if we're officially dating! How could you think that I was asking for marriage?!"

"You are literally still down on one knee and were hiding that pass like a ring!" Fell immediately countered, trying to salvage the situation in a way that didn't make him look like a creep. "Your whole speech screamed proposal too by the way."

That made the scientist pause, finally realizing his position as he seemed to be going back through his words. His cheeks only grew a deeper shade of emerald the longer he knelt in silence, the smaller skeleton eventually groaning as he buried his head in his hands. "Oh god, I'm such an idiot."

"Hey, I wouldn't say that," the daemon immediately countered, kneeling down to hopefully calm his soulmate down. The last thing he'd wanted to do was upset him, cursing his own inability to handle social situations properly as he tried to fix things. "You're like the smartest person I know, there's no way you can be an idiot. Now if you want an idiot, one of my brothers managed to climb up onto a ceiling fan and told us to turn it on because he thought it would be funny."

"Wait, really? That's dumb... what happened?"

"Oh, the idiot screamed like a girl the second it started moving too fast and we were all laughing hysterically until we got shouted at to turn it off before something got broken. So, in a way he was right, those of us on the ground thought it was hilarious." Dust was such a moron sometimes, though he was great for a laugh whenever one of his shenanigans inevitably backfired. The story seemed to be effective in calming Sci down as well, the smaller bursting out in laughter at his brother's idiocy as he gave up hiding his face. "There, now you can't possibly call yourself an idiot, because I'm stuck with the definition of an idiot."

While Fell always found himself being a social clutz with most people, Sci seemed to be one of the few that he always managed to find a way to fix any embarrassing mistakes made whenever he tripped over his own tongue. It was one of the things that further cemented in his mind that they were meant to be together. "Okay... okay you win this round," the scientist relented, still giggling at the story the cat daemon had shared with him. "So... about the question I _actually_ asked..." He trailed off as he looked to him expectantly, waiting to get a proper answer this time.

"The answer's still yes babe. Both to going with you..." The edgy skeleton leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on his companion's forehead without any warning before pulling away with a smirk. "And to being your boyfriend." As expected, he managed to stun Sci into silence once again, watching as the green quickly spread across his face again and he returned to hiding in his hands. Muffled screaming could be heard coming from him that only made Fell laugh, the taller shifting and pulling him close as he gently rubbed his skull. "You know you're really cute when you're flustered, right babe?" That comment only led to more muffled screaming, though this time the nerdy skeleton moved to hide his flushed face in Fell's side instead. It left the daemon blushing as well, but he wasn't going to complain, not when he'd wanted to be this close to him for what felt like so long.

After the pair managed to both come to terms with what was said and calm down, the night progressed much the same as any other night they hung out. They played a few more rounds of games, ordered in pizza using Sci's university discount, binge watched some shows while eating said pizza, and Fell eventually left for the night. The main differences were the looks the two kept sharing, the awkward giggles as they would look away, neither quite sure what to make of their new official status as boyfriends or what kind of change it would mean for their current relationship. Fell for the most part just didn't want to push his luck and say something embarrassing again, once was enough for a day in his opinion.

"Guess I'll see you this weekend," Sci stated with a smile as they were saying goodbye, the daemon wishing that he could be brave enough to ask to stay the night or see him sooner. But he knew that his soulmate still had his own work and studies to do, and the last thing he wanted to be was in Sci's way. As he handed over the VIP pass, he paused as if having a lightbulb moment. "Oh, I'll need your help grabbing some stuff from my workshop when we leave, so just swing by there instead of here Saturday morning."

"Workshop instead of room, got it," Fell repeated, taking the pass and carefully shoving it into his pocket so that he wouldn't lose it. See ya Saturday then babe." He quickly leaned in to place a kiss on the smaller skeleton's cheek, quite enjoying the smile that the simple notes of affection were getting him. He didn't dare push his luck and try for the mouth yet, honestly just content that they were now officially boyfriends.

As he turned around and left, he instinctually took out his phone to update the others, informing them that he'd be unavailable at any point this weekend, only to glare at the date displayed on the lock screen. Why did it have to be Wednesday? That meant that he had to wait two whole days to spend time with his little nerd. Sighing, the cat daemon proceeded to send his message to the group chat, snickering at how Dust immediately whined about how he'd had his date interrupted while Nightmare seemed fine with him taking the weekend off. It was at that point that their leader decided to share that he wouldn't be available on Sunday either, outright refusing to offer anything more even when pestered by their group's resident moron. Fell for the most part wrote it off as Nightmare either having plans with his newly discovered soulmate or with his twin brother, as according to Killer things between those two weren't the best right now either.

Those two days seemingly dragged on forever, his actions not much better than Reaper as he was for the most part content to simply wait it out and be ready to go for Saturday. He couldn't even hang out with Horror like he usually did when he had nothing better to do, as the snake was apparently spending his time pampering his little dancer, something about shaken confidence or something. The cat daemon had for the most part lounged about the mansion after completing the few tasks assigned to him, mostly recon since Nightmare's paranoia had shot through the roof ever since Reaper's encounter with a hunter in the heart of the city.

With nothing discovered that could cause issues for any of them and nothing of interest happening for the most part in general, Fell eventually managed to make it to Saturday and found himself outside of Sci's private workshop at 7:30 in the morning as requested. It was a bit earlier than he usually liked to get up, but the excitement of seeing his soulmate was more than enough motivation to get out of bed.

Shortly after knocking on the door, it was flung wide open to reveal Sci, though it took him a minute to realize who it was. Other than his signature glasses, his little scientist's look had completely changed. He looked like an army soldier from a science fiction movie, leaving him gawking without saying anything at first. "I'm gonna take the stunned silence instead of a hello as a sign that you like my costume?" The nerdy skeleton offered with a laugh, causing Fell to blink a couple times as he processed that comment.

"Costume?"

"Yeah! I mean we're going to a convention right, and half the fun of going is dressing up in cosplay!" Oh god, the daemon just couldn't handle how cute Sci got when he was passionate about some nerdy thing, even though Fell still didn't understand what he was going on about half the time. "That's why I asked you to show up so early, the convention doesn't open its doors until 9, so that'll give me enough time to make sure your costume works properly!"

Now Fell was even more confused than before, once again asking for clarification in possibly the shortest way he could manage. "My costume?"

"Yep! I know I kind of sprung this on you last minute, so I'm really hoping that this works. I originally built it for my friend Geno since he's usually my con buddy, but since he's in the hospital you might as well wear it."

"Oh okay, that's cool. So what did you... oh my god is that a titan?!" He yelled out, finally seeing what Sci had been dragging him towards. It looked like the mech had been ripped right out of the game, although designed on a much smaller scale to be practical for a convention setting.

His reaction seemed to be exactly what Sci was hoping for, the scientist's eyes practically sparkling as he ran over to his creation. "Yep! Built this beauty from scratch myself! Isn't it amazing?! We're so gonna have some of the best costumes in the whole con! Everyone will want to take pictures with the amazing titan and its pilot!" He gestured to himself as he said pilot, the edgy skeleton finally cluing in as to why Sci's outfit seemed so familiar. He was dressed as one of the titan pilots from the game, though standing beside a titan made it infinitely more obvious.

"How... did you manage to make this?" The daemon mumbled, standing in awe before his boyfriend's creation and wondering if he was even able to touch something this cool. "It looks just like the ones from the game."

"It does?! Really?!" His words only seemed to further excite the smaller standing beside him, leaving the proud and mature scientist acting like a giddy child. "I know I worked really hard to make it as accurate as possible while still making it something feasible for the con, so you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that!"

While his boyfriend continued to ramble on about certain features that went completely over Fell's head, the daemon merely marvelled at how smart Sci really was. The smaller had explained that his research was in robotics the first time he came over and found half a dozen partially assembled gizmos scattered across the dorm room, but this went way beyond those little trinkets. This looked like a walking, functioning titan, and if he didn't know that it was a costume, he'd think that the thing was loaded to the brim with the same weapons as its in-game counterpart.

"Fell... Fell? Fell!" The daemon finally managed to snap himself out of his little trance, turning to his eager boyfriend who kept waving his arms around in the direction of the now open machine. "Come on! I gotta make sure everything works! You're around the same size as Gen so space shouldn't be the issue, but I still gotta run diagnostics and brief you on the controls!" The scientist was practically pushing him in at this point, Fell mutely following along for the most part as this was still quite overwhelming.

Once he finally managed to climb up to the cockpit of the fake titan, the edgy skeleton paled and found himself wondering how the hell this was simply just some costume. "Sci, baby why does this look like the inside of a plane cockpit?" There had to be more buttons in here than he had bones!

"Oh come on, it's really not that bad! Just get in, you big baby, and I'll run you through a little tutorial."

"You're treating this like this is some video game and I have absolutely zero risk of stepping on you."

"That's because you don't! This beauty has the latest collision avoidance software which warns you of any obstacles that you might not immediately see, including me. And if I ever somehow manage to get myself directly in your way, it's designed to prevent you from moving if it deems current trajectory to be hazardous to an individual or property."

The daemon paused, turning around to make his bewildered expression clear to the smaller. "Sci, English babe."

While the bespectacled skeleton frowned a bit at the request, he was quick to oblige. "You won't step on me or anything, I designed it that way. Think of it as... like a giant Roomba! The most you'll do is bump into someone! And at that point it's their own fault for running into an 8' tall mini titan." Fell understood that explanation far more, though he was now picturing the robot heading straight in a given direction until it hit something before suddenly changing directions and going until it bumped something again. Sighing as he figured that any argument he could ever come up with would be simply explained away by his genius boyfriend, the edgy skeleton just bit the bullet and fully climbed in.

The chair he was greeted with was actually quite comfortable, the kind he figured that he could easily spend an entire day sitting in without issue. "Okay, I'll admit that this is nice," he muttered as he sat down, quickly getting comfortable. This wouldn't be a bad kind of chair to take a quick cat nap in.

"It should be, the friend I designed it for is always in and out of a wheelchair so I designed it to be something that he could sit in all day," Sci called, though his voice drifted away towards the end of the sentence. Before Fell could ask what was going on, the machine suddenly shifted as the panel in front of him lit up, the cat daemon clinging to the armrests for dear life as the metal contraption began shifting and shaking before the outside light disappeared entirely and he was sealed within.

A large screen illuminated next, a quarter of the screen showing Sci's face while the rest showed the front door to the workshop and everything else in front of the titan. His boyfriend looked up from what he could barely see was a keyboard only to snicker at how freaked out he must've looked. "You can let go of the seat now Fell, you're fine," he soothed, watching as the taller slowly eased his death grip from the armrests and began to relax so that his eyes weren't as wide as moons. "There you go! Alright, I'm just running initial systems checks, stuff like ventilation, lighting, hatch locks..." He trailed off to run these checks, Fell taking the chance to explore the interior of the titan.

While the thing looked intimidating from the outside, only about half of the lights were lit up to where he could see what they were... and for some reason, the setup closely mirrored the keyboard controls used to play the game this damn thing was based off of. Maybe Sci did that on purpose to make everything more intuitive? If his thoughts of the controls lining up were correct, then that meant that he knew how to move this thing...

"Don't touch," Sci ordered even though he barely looked up from his work, the edgy skeleton flinching back into his seat. "Just give me a minute, I can't have any conflicting commands while still running system checks." So he sat there for probably another ten or fifteen minutes of waiting before being given the all-clear. And after that came the tutorial, a brief rundown of every illuminated button on the panel that confirmed his suspicions of the intent behind the layout. It was a little more confusing though, as instead of weapons controls, he had to learn the finer motor skills that the robot was capable of and how to control something like its hands. A lot of it seemed to be computer controlled for the most part, which made things significantly easier to control for the technologically illiterate skeleton stuck trying to pilot the thing. One thing he was quite happy about was the fact that apparently all of the buttons and controls not currently illuminated were also deactivated, meaning that he couldn't accidentally flip a switch and engage insta-kill mode or something like that.

"Remind me why I'm not the one dressed like a soldier?" He whined partway through, finding all of this really hard to keep track of. While he loved and praised Sci's intelligence any chance he could get, the fact that it was far beyond the daemon's occasionally left him feeling frustrated or inept... this was one of those times.

His boyfriend looked up from his work with an apologetic smile, finally pulling away from the panel he'd been working at for at least half an hour now. "Sorry Fell, but I need to stay on the ground. Not only am I the one that knows how to navigate the con, but I'm also the one that needs to be capable of overwriting systems on the fly or initiating emergency procedures if something goes horribly wrong during the con. Which it shouldn't!" He quickly added once he saw Fell starting to freak out again, managing to calm him before he got too worked up. "But I can't do any of that if I'm the one in the cockpit, and you wouldn't know what to do in case of a system failure or something unexpected."

"I guess that makes sense," he grumbled, sighing as he eased up on his own frustrations to avoid upsetting the other. "Well, we've still got close to an hour before this thing starts, should we get started heading there?" the other visibly perked up at his suggestion, the small camera focused on his face able to capture his wide smile as he led the way.

Walking went smoother than he thought it would honestly, the titan moving naturally as he used the keys in front of him to control its movement. Rotation was a little slower on the response time than he was used to, but that was a limitation of physics and the fact that he didn't have some disembodied third person view of everything at once like in the game. The real fun though, was transit. Fell didn't like being gawked at on a normal day, associating attention and stares with danger as anyone in a crowd of humans could really be a hunter looking for any clue that he was their prey. This time was a bit different though, as he felt everyone staring at the thing he was inside instead, everyone looking at the 8' tall machine just barely sitting on a train seat and dwarfing his companion by comparison, a train ticket tightly clasped between its metal fingers that proved it paid to ride.

As they travelled, the stares didn't ease up, only getting more intense as more people got on towards the city center. But the closer they got to the convention, the more stares of awe he found himself registering. Other people dressed in costumes, all gawking in shock at the large robot on the crowded train. Eventually the crowds grew too heavy that Fell, using a newfound sort of courage that allowed him temporary expertise over the controls, plucked his boyfriend from the seat beside him and protectively placed him on the machine's lap. This of course left his little scientist completely flustered, and many of the onlookers that had yet to see the machine move were now quietly freaking out to those sitting with them. Fell could care less, only wanting to make sure that he never lost sight of Sci for a second in this chaos.

Eventually they came to their stop, with the daemon managing to figure it out even without Sci telling that it was theirs from the sheer number of people in strange outfits getting to their feet. He let go of his protective hold over the smaller monster, offering instead his hand as they managed to push their way off of the crowded train and make their way out of the station. One nice thing about piloting this thing was it was easy to get people to back off and give them space since nobody seemed to want to mess with the miniature titan.

They made it two steps out of the train station before two girls in maid outfits ran up to them with their phones out. "Can we get a picture with you guys?!" The one with the phone squealed, Sci quick to agree as they snagged a random person to hold their phone while the scientist instructed his boyfriend on how to pose the robot nicely for pictures.

By the time the girls were done and on their way, another person had stopped to ask them the same thing... and another, this time just wanting a photo of the two of them. This continued on for a good ten minutes, the two skeletons altering poses every so often before they were eventually free from the latest wave of train riders and managed to actually make it to the convention. Fell had to admit, it was kind of fun to pose for the photos.

"Aw crap," Sci muttered as they got to the security check, his glare being directed in the direction of the security guards up ahead.

"What's wrong babe?"

"The guard up ahead, the one with his face all bandaged, guy gives monsters grief every single year and yet the con still hires him despite the numerous complaints. Is it bad if I hope that all those bandages are because someone cut up his face?"

"Nope, not in the slightest," Fell snickered before turning his attention to the security guard in question, quietly enjoying how the bandages crossed along his face in a way that just barely missed his eyes and made it clear that the asshole had recently suffered a very bad day. "Any way for us to avoid him?"

"Not unless we get lucky enough for the queue to be just the right length that we get the other security guard instead of him, he's not nearly as bad and probably would let us in without much hassle by comparison." The smaller sighed as he led the two of them into the queue of con guests waiting to be admitted, both of them hoping to avoid the racist prick.

One of the advantages of being in an eight-foot-tall mechanized suit was the fact that Fell for once in his life towered over everyone else, able to clearly see the number of people between them and the security checkpoint. And as he kept counting, the daemon realized that, since the line split at one point and it worked out that roughly every other person or group went to the one guard, the two of them were gonna get stuck with the prick. They were quickly approaching the split point, with the edgy skeleton making a last-minute decision as he called out, "Hey Sci, something's not working right on this, I can't move."

"What?! But you were just moving!" the scientist cried out, likely distressed that his precious creation was 'broken'. Yet when he went to look at the video feed that let him see his boyfriend's face, he was met with Fell grinning from 'ear to ear' while gesturing for the smaller to stay quiet about what he was doing. Quickly catching on, Sci smiled before he let out a dramatic groan and stepped to the side, letting people go ahead of them while he 'fixed' the suit.

The two played it up perfectly, making it seem like they were running some complicated diagnostics while others wordlessly slipped past or wished them well in getting the titan moving again. While Sci checked things over, Fell kept tabs on the number of people and the groups going past them, waiting a bit to keep it from being obvious. Once his count hit a magic number, he grinned and pressed the key to move it forward, feeling it lurch to life once more and chuckling slightly as it startled the others in line. "Hey, you fixed it babe!"

"Guess I did," the smaller chuckled, the people next in line being kind enough to let them back in. And Fell's counting proved to be spot on, the two of them making it into the proper line and avoiding the Scarface rip-off. The man seemed to know exactly what they'd done, a fierce glare on his face, though that might've just been due to the fact that Sci's costume didn't hide that he was a monster. The normally timid scientist sent the glare right back, with Fell rotating the titan to look at him. Having the robotic suit honed in on him seemed to be enough to encourage him to get back to his job, leaving the pair to head through their own security check with zero issues minus a brief examination of the titan to ensure that there were no weapons on it.

Once they were safely inside, the pair looked to each other before bursting out in laughter. "Okay, I get that you were saving our butts there, but don't scare me like that again!" The smaller playfully chastised, smacking the side of the machine with the back of his hand.

"What? I panicked! You said he was an asshole, so I didn't want us to have to deal with it! I just happened to make use of the fact that for once in my life I'm taller than everybody and did some basic counting, then immediately acted on the first idea I had. At least it worked though."

"Yeah, yeah, just yet again, don't scare me like that. I like you, but if you break my precious baby then I will make you suffer."

"Ooh, I'm sooo scared," Fell said sarcastically, making the titan wave its arms around for dramatic effect. "What are you gonna do? Use big words on me?"

"Depends, are the words 'manual control override' big enough for you?" The skeleton soldier asked, bringing up the small arm-mounted computer that he'd been using for systems checks and their shared camera feed.

"Manual contr-aaa!" The cat daemon screamed out as everything started lighting up in front of him, all the buttons and controls turning red while his external camera went dark and was replaced with red text saying 'manual control override engaged'. All of a sudden the titan lunged into motion, leaving the edgy skeleton completely disoriented as it spun around and moved completely out of his control, the machine remaining unresponsive to his panicked button mashing. Honestly though, it was a pretty accurate reflection to how he sometimes got in the video game.

While Fell was for the most part in a blind panic as he tried to stop the dizzying motion, one detail did manage to catch his attention. _All_ the lights on the console were lit up, including the ones that had been left grey and deactivated for him. And as he read over some of the now active controls, the skeleton paled. They sounded like weapon systems, ones directly matching a titan out of the game.

Before he could look over all of them or truly confirm his suspicions, the motion stopped as suddenly as it started and the controls went back to how they used to be. As the daemon shook off the dizzy sensation, a glance towards that side of the panel revealed the controls grey out and unreadable once again. "There, I think that should be enough," Sci's voice called out, ripping his focus from the controls to the camera that was once again live. His soulmate had such a smug look on his face while several onlookers surrounded them, many with their phones out as they took pictures or video.

"What... did you make me do?" He hesitantly asked, only for Sci to spin around and refuse to answer. "Sci? Babe come on! Tell me, what the hell did I just do?!"

"I'll show you later Fell, but come on, the events are just opening up and I don't want to miss a thing!" The scientist gestured for him to follow, Fell quick to do so as he didn't want to lose his boyfriend in this massive place full of strangers.

In Sci's own words, he wanted to give Fell the 'full con experience', taking him to panels and shows, walking him through the vendor hall and artist alley where the two spent way too much money, and lots of pausing for photos. The pair even entered the costume contest in the couples category, managing to get third place. Honestly the daemon was just surprised that they were so close to winning, even if he knew their costume was pretty good.

"Still can't believe we lost the contest, my baby is beautiful and perfect!" Sci complained as the two neared his workshop, bags of merchandise in hand after a long day of walking around the convention and trying to see everything at once. The scientist wasn't even walking right now, instead curled up in Fell's robotic arms while hugging an oversized cat plushie that he'd _had_ to have when he saw it. The cat daemon still couldn't deny the overwhelming happiness that he'd felt learning that his soulmate was obsessed with cats and absolutely adored them, having cheerfully listened to him rant about how he wasn't allowed to have one in his dorm room so he instead regularly left food out for the campus strays by his workshop to encourage them to visit him.

"To be fair, the other costumes were pretty good. Still can't get over how the two winning couples were gay though."

"Yeah, guess I can't get mad that Tony Stark and Dr. Strange got first, with the amount of Marvel fans there must be and the quality of their costumes they kind of deserve it. That kiss was a purely dirty move to get the shippers going crazy though. The puzzleshipping was also a really nice surprise, they pulled it off pretty well."

"Puzzleshipping?" The edgy skeleton echoed, confused by what his boyfriend was referring to.

"The second-place couple? Yu-Gi-Oh? Please tell me you know one of the most iconic card games in nerd history." When the daemon remained silent, the smaller sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "I have so much to teach you."

"Alright, it's a date then," Fell simply said, smirking as his soulmate's face went emerald green and he began sputtering. "Damn, you're so cute when you're flustered." As the daemon laughed he reluctantly put his boyfriend down, the couple finding themselves in front of Sci's workshop.

"Fell," Sci whined, giving up on stopping his boyfriend's laughter as he went to open the door and let them in. Only he stopped halfway, bursting into giggles as he apparently found something quite funny. "I just realized, all three finalists in the couples contest were so gay!"

It took Fell a moment to realize what he meant, his own face going scarlet as he burst out laughing as well. It didn't take the pair long to get inside and for Sci to get his boyfriend completely out of the suit for the night. Honestly the taller skeleton was just thankful that going to the bathroom wasn't a concern of his or that suit would've been far more awkward to deal with.

Sci had a bit of work to run on the titan once he was out, so the edgy skeleton simply waited, letting him run his performance checks or whatever they were. Seeing that he was waiting for him to finish, the scientist beckoned him over with a grin. "Here, why don't you check this out while I'm finishing up? I shouldn't be too much longer, I just want to make sure all systems are still running at peak performance and nothing seriously broke while we were out."

Since he really didn't have anything better to do, Fell took the phone that had a YouTube video loaded up and ready to play. He didn't think much of it when he pressed the button, never even bothering to check the title of the video since the player had already been full screened. And all it took was a single second of footage for his face to burn bright red. There was him, in the titan, dancing the Fortnite default dance. "This is what you made me do when you locked me out?!" He screeched, thoroughly embarrassed while his boyfriend was now dying of laughter.

"That's what you get for messing with the nerd that built your robot!" He squealed, falling over himself and his computer as he just couldn't stop laughing. "God, I don't know how I wasn't dying laughing when that happened, I don't even like that stupid game but it was either that or Gangnam Style!"

"Think I would've rather done Gangnam Style," the cat grumbled, looking away from his giggling mess of a boyfriend. His keen eyes caught a detail though, one that should've seemed to out of place but didn't due the video reminding him of what he saw when the titan was out of his control. In one corner of the workshop were several pieces of plate steel, almost all of them with holes shot through them. He'd seen enough in his life to recognize most of the damage as bullet holes, though the grouping was so clustered together in most cases from what he could see that there weren't single, distinguishable holes in the metal but rather one large chunk missing from the center. One even looked like the metal had been burned and melted through rather than blasted apart, and there were a couple piles of destroyed metal near the discarded plates.

Once again before he could focus on them too much, Sci stole his focus away as he announced that he was done and had even managed to change out of his costume, leaving him in his typical clothes minus his lab coat that was neatly hung up nearby. And since Fell only saw those plates due to his enhanced vision, he decided not to say a word about them or what he'd caught on the control panel. Sure, he was curious, but he also knew the old saying about curiosity and cats.

"I hope you had fun today. Looking back, I can't help but worry that I took you to too much at once."

"Nah, it's fine. Don't worry about it sweetheart, I very much enjoyed it. It was a little overwhelming at first, but it felt nice to be more... myself in public for once. Nobody judging me or expecting me to act a certain way. Walking around in the titan was pretty damn cool too, though if you ever make me do a Fortnite dance again I'll... come up with something for revenge. I don't know what yet, but I'll do something!"

The scientist let out a light-hearted laugh at the pretty much empty threat as they walked back to Sci's dorm room, the daemon figuring that walking him back was the least he could do and it would ensure his soulmate's safety despite the relatively secure area. "So... is Gangnam Style still on the table?"

"... Maybe." It wasn't much longer before they made it, Fell honestly disappointed that their day together was over already. "Can't wait until we can hang out again," he sighed, hoping that it would be soon.

"Um... you mean tomorrow?" The daemon blinked a couple times, his wide-eyed stare causing the smaller to laugh as it became clear that he really didn't know. "The convention's a three-day event thanks to a long weekend, and this was day one. If you're up for it, the VIP passes cover all three days and there's plenty of day-specific events that we can go to. Some vendors are also only there certain days, so it's fun to check out absolutely everything all three days to make sure you're not missing something amazing... like this wittle guy!" Sci immediately cooed as he waved his stuffed cat around, snuggling into it while Fell watched on fondly.

This was the dork that he was meant to spend the rest of his life with... and he couldn't be happier. "Don't worry babe, I'd be more than happy to go with you the other two days. I can just show up at your workshop tomorrow morning at the same time if that works with you."

"Really?! That's great! Yeah, just show up tomorrow morning and we can stuff you back in the titan for day two, there'll probably be even more people taking pictures so it should be even more fun to wear! Thanks Fell, you're the best!" The smaller ran over and gave him a big hug, one that took the daemon a second to process before he happily returned it. The kiss to the cheek though was something that left him fried, both of them blushing from the action as Sci suddenly got timid. "S-See you tomorrow Fell, I-I'm looking forward t-to it. H-Hope you don't m-mind, b-but I k-kinda booked us for a m-maid c-café." With that the scientist waved goodbye, collected his purchases, and left, leaving behind his stunned boyfriend.

Fell eventually stopped waving to the now empty space in front of him, managing to turn around and stumble his way back to the main path so that he could head home. As he made the solo journey, three things dominated his thoughts. The first was that kiss, the sweet gift from his boyfriend still leaving his head reeling and his soul fluttering, red staining his cheeks the more he thought about it. The second though were those metal plates and the deactivated controls he'd seen, finding himself wondering if he was making a bad jump in logic or if those clues really pointed to what he thought they did. And the third was Sci's mentioning of a maid café, the cat daemon having no clue what exactly was involved in that event. And while it was probably something innocent and fun, the edgy skeleton couldn't keep his thoughts from being dominated by the thought of his bashful little nerd all dressed up in a maid outfit. Maybe he'd have to keep his eyes open tomorrow when they were checking out the vendor hall, and if he was lucky it'd be his turn to give Sci a costume to wear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never mess with the nerds that built your tech. That is the moral of this story.


	19. A Very Merry Daemons Christmas Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally just now realized that I forgot to post this here on Christmas XD
> 
> Anyways, a friend of mine was hosting a Christmas Undertale writing event on her server, so I decided that it would be the perfect excuse to spread some holiday cheer and give a first glimpse into what my dorks are like when all together as a group XD  
> These events are CANON to the story, however they're set several chapters ahead of where we currently are, somewhere past chapter 30. Not sure what the exact chapter number is but I'll figure it out eventually XD
> 
> So hopefully you all enjoy this piece of pure fluff that'll serve as a break from all the mysteries and angst that I usually put everywhere!

"I call putting up the star!" Dust blurted out, leaping over Dream as he pulled the ornament from the box and easily plucking it from the surprised skeleton's grasp. He even made a show of landing on one hand, showing off a bit for his nearby boyfriend who merely giggled at his antics.

"Dude, Dream literally had it in his hand!" Killer cried out, about to throw a fit over the decoration were it not for a gentle hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"It's alright Killer, I really don't mind." The golden skeleton flashed the taller a smile, one that instantly had him relax and back off. "I'm more than happy to just be able to celebrate Christmas with Night again after all these years, and I'm pretty sure Dust can get to the top of the tree easier than I can."

With all the soulmates being aware of their partners' true natures, they were all free to use their daemon forms freely as they set up for the Christmas party being held in the mansion. Horror and Lust had gone out to pick the perfect tree, which by the snake's standards meant the biggest one he could possibly cut down as a means to show off his unnatural strength to his soulmate. This also meant that they'd had a lot of fun trying to actually get the tree into the house and upright, with the only place big enough to house it being the foyer. Even then, the branches extended well beyond the second-floor balcony, meaning that it would like be up to the daemons like Dust and Error to actually decorate the upper half of the tree.

They would've asked Reaper to assist on that front as well, but he'd been gone all day to pick up his soulmate from the hospital. While it was nothing so critical as the last few times the scarfed skeleton had been in, it was still a necessary stay that would leave the raven daemon pampering the smaller as much as physically possible.

This fact was only proven even more when Reaper finally returned to the mansion in the midst of decorating, carrying a sleeping skeleton in his arms. The sound of the door rendered everyone temporarily silent, thankfully not disturbing Geno's much needed rest. "Ah, in the midst of merry-making I see," the cloaked skeleton greeted, only to stop as he caught sight of the giant tree. "Now that is a tree, guess that explains the giant trail littered with pine needles I saw on my way here. Well then, don't let me intrude upon such wondrous festive traditions... though a friendly piece of advice." The sight of his normally empty left socket flaring a brilliant blue set many of his brothers on edge as he continued. "I would keep the volume under control if I were you. My beloved little swan is in need of his beauty sleep, and if any of you wake him, _I'll deck the halls in your blood_."

As the pair disappeared into a nearby sitting room, a tense silence hung over the others as many of the college students looked among each other. "That's..." Blue started, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. "That's definitely some dark humour... mweh... heh..."

"Hate to say it baby Blue, but Reaps isn't joking," Dust muttered, swallowing back a lump in his throat before trying to calm his soulmate down and keep him from freaking out about the death threat. "But I'm sure we can keep a reasonable volume level, how hard can it be?"

"Yeah, I'm out," Error grumbled, his strings retracting from the tree and setting the decorations down at his brothers' feet. "I'm not in the mood to piss Reaper off, and I'm definitely not in the mood to get dragged into whatever hell you idiots inevitably bring upon yourselves." He paused though upon catching a glance from his artist, sighing at the expectant gaze locked onto him. "I'll help later once Reaper's soulmate wakes up and he's less likely to murder someone, in the mean time though I'll keep an eye on him. You have fun decorating Inky."

"W-Wow, you really can get him t-to do anything, you d-didn't even have t-to say anything," Sci pointed out to his friend as the spider daemon left the same way Reaper had, his usual stutter present due to the high number of faces nearby that he still wasn't used to. Fell was at least keeping him from truly panicking, so the stutter was the worst of it.

"Mhm! Ruru knows better than to argue with me, so he usually just skips that step and saves himself a headache," Ink giggled, clearly seeing nothing wrong with manipulating his boyfriend in such a way. When the scientist next to him pointed out his potentially toxic behaviour, he was quick to brush it off as he provided a reasonable justification. "I don't try to control everything he does, but Error can be a bit of a grumpy grump and will skip out on things that even he admits are fun for the silliest reasons. I just want him to let himself enjoy life!"

"I still find it weird to think of you of all people, Mister 'enjoy life to the fullest' being destined to fall for someone so cynical and reserved," Lust commented, only to chuckle as he realized something. "Then again, fate's choice for me isn't someone that I would've expected either." The snake daemon currently loosely coiled around his lithe frame let out a happy rumble before nuzzling closer to him, eliciting more giggles as the two snuggled together and let the others tackle the bulk of the decorating.

***

"Looks like they're having fun," Cross commented, watching over the others from the second story as he leaned over the railing. CC hovered nearby, unseen by all except his brother, showing a surprising amount of interest in the festivities despite his usual indifference to most things. Christmas however held a special place for the brothers as it was the first holiday they celebrated with Geno, and then later it was the first one spent with their friends.

A glance over the monochrome skeleton's shoulder drew his attention to his soulmate, the octopus daemon huffing as he rolled his eye. "I still don't get the point of Christmas, all I see it as is a poor excuse for robbing the capitalist world blind every year," he grumbled.

"Geez, you're such a Scrooge. Christmas for us has never really been about the gifts, it's just been an excuse for all of us to hang out together and relax, usually after a really stressful finals season. That's why we always do a secret Santa gift exchange with a single gift limit, since not all of us have as much disposable income as you or Dream."

"You say that like I even want to touch that stupid money." Nightmare was clearly set on being all grumpy about the holiday despite how much the other daemons seemed to enjoy celebrating it for a change. It had been interesting explaining everything to some of them, each getting excited about different aspects. For example, Horror had been obsessed over dinner, while Dust had been by far the most eager to do the gift exchange.

Ignoring his own boyfriend's comment, Cross rolled his eyes and pulled away from the railing. "Whatever, you grumpy calamari. Geno's downstairs so I'm gonna go check on him."

"Hey, calamari is squid! I am an octopus!"

"I could refer to you as a hentai reject if you'd prefer, those ones are usually an octopus," the smaller fired back, CC bursting into a fit of laughter by his side while the other was effectively silenced. Leaving behind the blushing skeleton, he headed downstairs, bypassing everyone decorating to head the same way his brother had gone.

Upon entering the sitting room, the scarfed skeleton was currently curled up asleep on one of the couches, his head resting in Reaper's lap. The daemon was idly tracing patterns on the side of his skull, one wing draped over Geno's small frame to act as a blanket. Error was also present, lounging nearby yet apart from the couple while messing with his strings. The peaceful atmosphere was a pleasant change from the nearby decorating chaos, a soft smile on the monochrome skeleton's face as he sat on the sofa opposite his brother.

"How's he doing?" He asked, having figured out by now that Reaper was probably the only person more concerned over the scarfed skeleton's wellbeing than him and CC.

The raven finally looked up as he switched to just petting Geno's skull, a gentle smile on his face. "All things considered, he's not bad. According to him, he's mostly just tired after all the tests and medicines that they loaded him up on so that he could be released in time for Christmas. Should've seen him light up once the doc confirmed that he was good to go so long as he took it easy and came back for more tests after the holidays."

"Which means you're gonna be carrying him everywhere and fawning over him more than normal?"

"You know it," Reaper cheekily responded, no shame in his plan to borderline coddle the weak skeleton. His attention was quickly ripped from the conversation however by the sound of a soft yawn, both looking down to see Geno starting to wake up from his nap. The smaller had already given up on trying to act tough around the daemon by denying his affections, snuggling into his hand and the warmth of the wing wrapped around him. "Have a nice nap, sweetheart?"

"Mmm... mhm," came the sleepy response, another yawn following before he finally opened his eye and tilted his skull upwards to look at his boyfriend's face. "We already here?"

"You're not in Kansas, that's for damn sure," Nightmare grumbled as he slipped into the room, earning a glare from Reaper that he pointedly ignored. His response only seemed to bring the frail skeleton's gaze upon him, the intense stare refusing to let up in a way that creeped even the daemon leader out. "Cross, why the hell is your brother staring at me?"

"He's analyzing you," the smaller confirmed without hesitation, smirking as he started growing curious. "It's kind of his thing, he can read a lot about the true natures of people just by observing them... which makes me pretty curious as to what you're managing to pick up on, Gen."

Before the octopus could comprehend what exactly was happening and stop it, Geno was all to happy to reveal his initial findings given his brother's interest. "A short temper used to cover up insecurities. Obsessive desires to control both people and situations, with antisocial tendencies erupting when control is imperfect. Snapping at others so readily could also be a means of attempting to establish dominance and prove strength, once again pointing to an inferiority complex."

"In other words, you're a grumpy hentai reject that wants everyone to think he's dangerous and throws a tantrum whenever things don't go exactly your way, which is pretty damn accurate I think," Cross snickered, hearing CC once again start wheezing about the teasing nickname.

While Nightmare spluttered once again at the title, Error finally looked up from the strings around his fingers that he was playing with. "I'm surprised that you can even understand what the hell he just said. He sounds like Reaper whenever he wants to be a drama queen."

"I've got a lot of years behind me that required deciphering him when he gets into that mode, otherwise I'd be screwed and would require translation all the time too."

"And the only reason you cannot comprehend my superior vocabulary is no fault of mine dear brother," Reaper announced, purposefully speaking the exact way that the spider was referring to. "While fate was kind enough to gift you with such a perfect soulmate for yourself, it unfortunately took its payment in the form of your mental faculties. Only I seem to have escaped such a cruel hand to possess both wonders."

Upon seeing the confused look from the glitchy skeleton as he tried to decipher what the words meant, Geno poked his head up and rolled over enough to properly respond. "He's essentially calling all of you stupid, which I kind of agree with if you struggle to understand him."

"Only when he gets like that!" Error cried, only to go completely ignored as the raven daemon concerned himself with showering his soulmate with praise due to his instant understanding. "You two really were made for each other," he grumbled, earning a laugh from Cross who couldn't help but agree. Looking at who fate had chosen for each of his friends, he could definitely see the similarities in personality that allowed them all to mesh so perfectly with each other. Even if some of the pairings looked a little weird on the surface, it was still relatively easy to see why they all worked. After all, Nightmare wasn't the only one here with a need to constantly be seen as strong.

***

As the five skeletons rested in the relative peace, a feline scream echoed from where the others were working and effectively destroyed their moment of quiet. "What was that?" Geno mumbled, shifting to sit up as he looked over his shoulder in the direction of the noise.

"That sounded like someone scared the shit out of Fell," Error sighed, giving up on any hope for things going smoothly as he got to his feet. "We might as well go see what happened before those idiots tear down the tree and destroy the place in the process." Both of the other daemons nodded and got to their feet, with Reaper sweeping his soulmate into his arms despite the flustered protest he got.

With Cross following behind, the group entered the main foyer to find Fell two thirds up the way of the massive tree, frantically tangling himself in the branches and continuing to let out a feral screech. Ink was on the ground, literally. The artist was rolling around in a fit of giggles, squealing something about a cucumber that nobody really understood. Sci was at the base of the tree, trying and failing to coax his boyfriend down while most of the others just laughed on the sidelines.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" Nightmare grumbled, spotting a cucumber near the tree that was likely involved. Seeing as there were only two remotely responsible skeletons in the bunch and one was still trying to calm the mountain cat down, the daemon leader turned to his twin for an explanation.

"Once Ink was reminded that Fell was a cat, he immediately wanted to see if a cucumber would freak him out like a normal housecat. So, he pulled a cucumber out of his bag, don't ask me why he had one, and set it at Fell's feet. Apparently, cucumbers work on feline daemons as well." Dream sighed as he looked over to his best friend, shaking his head in disappointment over how entertained Ink had been. "Killer's hardened slime at the base is at least holding the tree up, but please tell me you can get him out without ruining all the decorations."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll fix Ink's mess," Error grumbled, strings shooting out from his fingers and ensnaring his thrashing brother. "Fell, knock it off you moron! It's just a fucking cucumber! Why the hell are you scared of a vegetable?!"

"T-Technically a cucumber is a f-fruit," Sci quietly mumbled, shrinking under Error's glare while the taller worked to pull Fell away from the tree and back onto the ground. Once the mountain cat daemon had been removed from the tree, Sci was quick to scamper behind him, effectively stealing his boyfriend's attention away from the piece of produce.

"Thank fuck that's over with," Nightmare grumbled, one of his tentacles slithering over to pick up the cucumber and dangle it in front of Fell's face. The guarded reaction was immediate, a growl escaping him as it was brought closer. "Seriously though, what's so scary about a fucking vegetable?"

"Fruit," Sci once again corrected, only to shrink even more under the powerful daemon's gaze.

Seeing the reaction, the edgy skeleton was quick to steal the focus away from his little nerd, glaring at the cucumber as he did so. "Can't help it, instincts. Looks like a snake, so I jumped away to avoid getting bit."

"A sna... Fell... there is a giant constrictor literally ten feet from you, one that you regularly hang out with I might add, and you're afraid of the fucking cucumber?" The shrug Error got in response left him pinching the bridge of his nose, grumbling quietly to himself. "Maybe Reaper's right about the rest of you; you're all idiots."

Nightmare hadn't really been paying much attention to the cucumber in his hold, only noticing when it quickly slipped from his tentacle. A flash of gold was all he caught before the laughter they'd all been ignoring was quickly silenced and replaced with a cry of pain. "Ruru, Dream hit me with the cucumber!" The artist whined childishly, holding his head and looking ready to cry.

"I barely hit you, you big baby, and you deserved it," the golden skeleton sighed, rolling his eyes as he wandered off with the cucumber in the direction of the kitchen. "Remind me to go through that stupid bag of yours and pull any other hidden produce out of there!"

As the colourful skeleton turned his pleading gaze to his boyfriend, the taller merely snickered and shook his head. "Dream's right Inky, you asked for that one. Now... guess we should finish decorating this tree." Making good on his earlier promise, the spider assisted in decorating the upper half of the tree by lifting the others high enough to reach. Soon several skeletons were dangling in the air, laughter and giggles coming from Dust and Blue while Killer focused more on decorating. After giving up on trying to get some pity, Ink quickly rebounded and practically begged his boyfriend to let him help. Dream also offered to join in once he returned from the kitchen, having washed and cut up the cucumber before handing it to Horror to tide the hungry daemon over until dinner.

With so many of them working together, the rest of the tree was decorated rather quickly, leaving only the star as the final piece. "Aw yeah, time to put up the..." Dust trailed off as he felt in his pocket for the decoration he'd snagged earlier, only to frantically start looking all around him for the item. "Where the hell's the star?!"

An evil snicker quickly alerted everyone to the culprit, looking in the direction of the sound to see Reaper flying up to the top of the tree with both Geno and the star in his grasp. "You snooze, ya lose Dust!" He called out, ignoring the shouts of protest and demands for him to return to the ground as he carried his soulmate to the very top. "Alright sweetheart, will you do us the honours of completing our tree?"

"You didn't have to steal the star from him," Geno chastised instead of responding, frowning at the raven as the ornament was placed in his hands. "I would've been fine letting him put it up, in fact I'm usually not allowed to stress myself by helping with the decorating so it really wouldn't bother me."

"All the more reason that you have a part in this tree now that you've got someone to support you!" Reaper chirped, nuzzling into him in response. "Besides, Dust would've insisted on climbing to the top and likely would've destroyed something on the way, so this is better for everyone. Even Dust, as either Nightmare or Error would've definitely chewed him out for making a mess. My only regret is that I couldn't produce a star that came anywhere close to matching your beauty, my love."

"S-Shut up," the smaller grumbled, burrowing his head down into his scarf as his cheeks flared red in response to the compliment. Looking to the decoration firmly clasped in his hands, the scarfed skeleton sighed as he pushed away any guilt he might've had for taking this moment away from Dust. He had to admit that Reaper made a fairly convincing argument, and it would be nice to have a hand in decorating the tree for once, even if he only held a small part. Smiling, Geno reached out to the tip of the tree, carefully setting the star at the top and trusting his boyfriend to keep him steady enough to complete the task. There was a special joy in his broken soul once the final ornament was placed and he was pulled away from the tree, his friends cheering for the completed task below. "This is already feeling like one of the best Christmases I've had," he happily sighed, hearing the daemon whisper his agreement with that statement as they returned to the others gathered on the ground.

***

"Present time!" Blues shouted, still full of energy despite the colossal amount of food they'd just finished eating. While most of them were dragging themselves back to the foyer on the verges of food comas after dinner, Blue and Dust were once again proving how perfect they were as they ran and bounced around in excitement for the secret gift exchange.

Everyone had placed their secret Santa present in front of the tree, the labels even being printed from computers to avoid giving away the gift giver based on handwriting. After all, half the challenge was to guess who their secret Santa had been based on the gift. There were no extra prizes or anything, it was just a fun little tradition that they'd started and now wanted to pass onto their soulmates.

"How does he even have energy to move?" Fell whined, a yawn escaping as he pretty much leaned on Sci while they slowly shuffled along with the others. "I'd honestly prefer a cat nap before presents, or at least some sort of break to let this food settle."

"Nooooo, presents always come after food!" The blue-clad ball of energy complained, huffing and pouting at the mountain cat in disappointment.

Sci chuckled at the look his boyfriend was getting, urging him along in front of the tree. "Blue's right babe, we've always done it this way even when we made way too much food like this year."

"I still don't think there was enough," Horror chimed in, carrying a plate in with him filled with items that the others had taken yet hadn't been able to finish. "Seriously, how are you guys stuffed?"

"Not all of us are a walking trash compactor," Error pointed out before turning his attention to the pile of nicely wrapped presents. "So... who's going first?" Knowing exactly who would want to go first, Dream was quick to act as he put up a hand, Killer's hand to be specific. Not really paying attention, Error merely shrugged and went with it since he saw the hand shoot up first. "Okay, guess Killer's going first."

"M-Me?" The frog asked, blinking in surprise while Blue pouted once again at not being chosen first. "Dreamy, you didn't have to do that."

"Maybe not, but I wanted to! You've done so much to help me, so let me repay the favour even the tiniest bit. Besides, this is the first time for you guys, so one of you should go first and not the person who goes first every year." The golden skeleton pointedly looked over at his friend, watching his pout be replaced with a sheepish smile before the small skeleton ultimately nodded in agreement.

Shrugging and accepting that everyone was waiting for him to go, he got up and looked through the pile to find one addressed to him. The gift was a shallow rectangle, expertly wrapped with a delicate bow surrounding it. Ignoring the sets of eyes all glued to him, he carefully opened the present only to find a painting inside. It was a picture of Dream with a small frog in his hands. The frog was black with red markings, clearly meant to be him, and a little golden crown sat on his froggy head. To top it all off, his soulmate was re-enacting the frog prince by offering his small self a kiss, though the painting was unable to capture the supposed transformation that would follow.

A dark blush crept across his cheeks, and one look back at Dream showed a familiar golden hue striking his cheeks as well. "N-Now I have to guess who I-I think got it f-for me?" He shakily asked, receiving a nod from his boyfriend before he looked around the circle. The painting was clearly handmade, and there was only one person he knew here that had any sort of talent with art to produce something so beautiful. "This had to be from Ink."

"Caught me!" The artist giggled, rocking back and forth a bit as he looked over his creation. "Guess me doing a painting was a bit of a dead giveaway though. Now you get to pick who goes next!"

Given that the frog's attention was already drawn in that direction, he couldn't help but blurt out the first name that popped into his head. "Uh... Error I guess, you can go next." He then retreated from the center to look over his painting, smiling alongside Dream as they thoroughly enjoyed the gift.

While the spider wasn't expecting to be picked next, he could care less about when he went, so he wandered over and quickly found his present. The relatively simple wrapping was torn aside and the box opened to reveal a gift he wasn't expecting. "Is this... knitting yarn?" Sure enough, several different colours were present in the bundle, complete with knitting needles as well as a few other supplies for general sewing and bundles of fabric. All it took was one look though to realize who gave it to him, smirking at the obvious reaction. "Well it's obviously from you." The spider pointed at Cross, snickering at how he jumped before offering a timid nod.

"Didn't know what else to get ya. Nightmare said that you were always spinning webs and stuff, and I noticed that you patched your own clothes, so I figured you'd be able to make new ones this way if you wanted." The monochrome skeleton scratched his skull, not sure what to think of his gift considering he'd been going in with zero knowledge of Error's likes and dislikes.

After taking another look over the contents, the daemon smiled and nodded. "A very practical gift, thank you." Cross perked up at the appreciation, smiling back and causing Nightmare to chuckle at how happy he seemed to be once his gift was received. Now it was Error's turn to pick who was next, deciding to pick whoever's name he saw first in the pile. "Lust, you go next."

The dancer jumped a bit as his name was called, hesitantly wandering over to grab his present. The cute print on the wrapping left him smiling as he opened his gift, only to gasp at the contents inside. It was a bright purple coat, not unlike his own hoodie, though the material was far thicker and extended along the backside to mid-calf height. It was clear that the coat was meant to keep him warm in the colder winter months, and there were even some fashionable knee-high boots in the box that would keep his feet warm and dry. It was tough to think of who could've gotten him a gift that took into account his recent style change and yet still looked amazing, so he turned to the wrapping job to tell him who it was from, smirking. "Dream honey, you really need to get yourself more than one roll of wrapping paper. You used the same one last year!"

"I did? Dang, I thought I used a different one! And for the record I do have more than one... that one's just my favourite." The college students all shared a laugh at their friend's typical forgetfulness, though this time was a little more understandable given that it had been a year since any of them wrapped presents. "I really hope you like those though, once I saw how thin that old hoodie of yours was, I had to get you something a little more winter appropriate."

"I do love it, thank you Dream." The dancer blew a kiss in his direction before tapping a finger against his mouth as he thought of who would be next. "Well, I would call on Dream next, but that's too boring. Let's do Ink instead!"

"Woo!" The artist rushed the present pile, barely waiting for Lust to sit back down before he searched for and ripped into his present. Inside were an assortment of art supplies, specifically ones that he'd needed recently and hadn't had a chance to pick up yet. There were also some very high-quality items in the box that he usually wouldn't splurge on, causing him to light up in excitement like the nearby Christmas tree. The only problem with getting art supplies though was that he didn't have a clue who had given it to him, trying to think of who would know just what he needed and wanted. "Geno, was this from you?"

The scarfed skeleton chuckled and shook his head, pointing to something within the box. "Sorry Ink, but I don't know how to sew so I doubt this came from me." Following the direction that he was pointing, the colourful skeleton caught sight of two handmade plushies at the bottom of the box, one made to look like him and another that looked just like Error. The resulting squeal of happiness caused some of the gathered skeletons, especially the daemons with enhanced hearing, to cover their ears, though all seemed to smile at the sight of Ink hugging the toys to death.

"Aw man, now I know who got me this and can't say! Oh well, guess that's what I get for not looking through everything first." Taking the arm of the plushie that looked like him, Ink squinted his eyes before pointing the fabric arm at one of his friends. "Sci, you can go next!" With that he took his box of goodies back to his spot before giving Error the biggest kiss he possibly could.

"A bit of a random choice, but okay," the scientist mumbled, picking his present out of the pile. It was pretty small compared to the previous ones, but that didn't deter him as he opened it up and looked through the contents. The gift was a collection of comics, and rare collector's ones at that. His inner nerd was going nuts at the sight of them, finding that some of the issues were even signed by the artists or writers. "Oh my god, this is amazing! Oh my god!" It took him a moment to calm himself down enough to think of who might be the giver, his mind immediately going to the first nerd he could think of. "Okay, this had to be from Geno!"

Once again, the frail skeleton shook his head, offering a smile as he did so. "Those look pretty awesome, though I don't think I would've had a clue where to find them. Guess someone else here appreciates comics as much as we do." That's when it hit him. There was in fact another nerd among them, though one that was far less likely to show off that side of himself. These had to be from his boyfriend, and he almost felt bad for not guessing him first. He'd definitely have to make it up to him later.

Focusing on the present, the scientist knew that he first had to pick the next person, looking around and wondering who to choose. His attention was ultimately stolen by one of the daemons, watching him bounce on the spot as a way of betraying how excited he was. Silently pointing towards Dust, he scurried back to his spot to show his boyfriend some appreciation, offering some scratches right behind his ears that instantly resulted in some soft purrs.

Dust wasted no time in hopping over to the dwindling pile, quickly picking his present out of the bunch and ripping into it. Again, it was a smaller box, even smaller than Sci's had been, but the monkey quickly didn't care about the size once he pulled the leather pouch out of the box. "Who gave the murder monkey a knife?" Nightmare called out in disappointment, seeing the younger daemon giggle maniacally as he unsheathed the blade and toyed with the razor-sharp edge.

"Perfectly balanced, perfectly sharpened, perfectly contoured... Clearly whoever got me this is an expert in weapons, namely Reaper." As he came to his conclusion, he even pointed at his brother with the knife, a wicked glint in his eyes that left Sci and Lust on edge.

The raven daemon only chuckled at the gesture, not at all threatened or worried. " _Knife_ to see you were able to figure it out," he joked, earning a groan from some of his brothers and a soft chuckle from Geno. "Figured it could never hurt for you to have a weapon to back you up if shit gets dangerous considering you don't have a lot of offensive firepower compared to the rest of us. A knife just seemed to be the best thing I could think of to suit your style, plus it's something you'll be able to conceal and carry with you at all times. How did I do?"

"You did fucking awesome bro! This is great!" After a moment more of appreciating his gift, the monkey then turned to the remaining skeletons he could choose from, deciding to pick one of his remaining brothers. "Alright Fell, your turn!"

The cat merely grumbled about having to get up, leaving Sci and his wonderful scratches behind to pick up his present. His was by far the largest box there, big enough for him to fit in, and the most lazily wrapped as it literally just had his name stuck to the side and an oversized bow on top. Lifting it revealed the box to be very light too, making him all the more curious as he opened it up. Upon opening it though he instantly frowned, glaring over at his leader without a second thought. "Nightmare, why the fuck did you get me cat toys?"

"Oh come on, how did you know it was me?!"

"You're the one that always refers to me as an overgrown housecat in sparring matches," he growled, going through the contents much to his brothers' amusement. "Plastic balls, fake mice, feather wands... a collar that for some reason says Peaches-"

"Apparently there's some mountain lion in a video game named Peaches, so that's what the internet gave me," Nightmare explained, though he was clearly proud of himself for the gift all the same. That's not even the best part of the gift."

"Are you referring to the large jar of cat treats you put in here or the pouch of catnip?" Fell asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I forgot I threw those in there. I was actually referring to the box." At that, everyone burst out laughing, Fell's cheeks growing progressively red at the mockery that was his present. The frustrating part was, part of him really did want to crawl in the box.

"Fuck you guys!" He snarled, storming over to his spot next to Sci where he proceeded to dump all the contents of the box out, tip it on its side with the back facing the circle, and then he crawled inside where nobody could see him except for his boyfriend. "Reaper, you're less of an asshole, you go!"

The raven had no problem with taking his turn next, wandering over and picking his present out of the small pile. His talons made quick work of the wrapping paper and tape, revealing a dazzling collection of various stones, gems, and jewelry that left a happy gurgling noise coming from him. A couple high-pitched caws even escaped him as the collection of shiny objects called to the more animal side of him. "These will make a lovely addition to my collection. As for who gave them to me..." Reaper trailed off in thought, partially tempted to name his own soulmate were it not for their shared love of books being more prominent than his love of shiny things. "I'm going to guess they came from you," he declared, gesturing to Lust with a confident smile.

A shy smile and a chuckle were all the answer he needed to prove that he was right. "Horror said you were part raven, and it reminded me of this one raven that was constantly stealing jewelry or precious stones from me when I was younger. Looked it up and saw that was a normal thing for ravens, so I figured it was the safest option. I'm glad you like them."

While he was tempted to fawn over his new shinies right away, Reaper looked to the presents at his feet to see who still had to select one. "Horror, since your lovely soulmate got me such a wonderful gift, you can go next!" He then returned to Geno's side, eager to show off the various objects as well as attempt to convince his partner to try some of the jewelry on.

Horror, having long since finished the leftovers he'd snagged on the way out of the kitchen, set the plate down before slithering over to his present. His was the exact opposite of Fell's, a small gift bag that seemed to be filled with more tissue paper than anything. As he chucked it aside and finally got to the bottom, he was greeted with a bunch of cards bundled together with an elastic band. It didn't seem like that exciting of a gift at first, until he caught sight of what was on the card. It was a gift card to one of the best all-you-can-eat buffets in the city, one he'd dreamed about going to yet had been repeatedly told he wasn't allowed due to how expensive and high-class it was. But this gift card would pay for a dinner for two, which screamed the best date night with Lust he could think of.

As he shuffled through the rest of the cards, they were gift cards of a similar nature, all to restaurants that he otherwise wouldn't be allowed to go to despite the heavenly smells coming from them. He practically felt ready to cry as he hugged the gift cards to his chest, wondering who could possibly have given them to him. That's when he detected a familiar scent on the gift cards, quickly shoving them into his pocket before darting over to Dust and giving him a hug in thanks.

A strangled squeak escaped his brother at the sudden hug, a hand moving to shakily pat him on the back. "O-Okay, love ya too big guy, b-but you're k-kinda constricting my bones!" His voice came out raspy and strained from the minimal air he was able to get despite the bone crushing hug, a huge gasp for air being the first thing he took once he was let go. After taking a moment to recover, the monkey chuckled weakly as he patted his brother's one arm. "G-Glad ya like your p-present," he wheezed, collapsing back into his spot as Horror returned to his and quickly coiled back around Lust. "You haven't gone yet, right?" The snake asked, pointing to Cross who shook his head and took that as a sign that it was his turn.

Cross didn't know quite what to expect considering that he barely knew half the people gathered here, looking to the present for him and simply hoping that one of his friends were responsible. He would've hoped for Nightmare too, but he was clearly assigned the mountain cat daemon still pouting in his cardboard box. Sighing, he opened the gift, only to be pleasantly surprised as he got something he'd been talking about in recent months. "Definitely better than what I gave," he chuckled, pulling out the collection of hot and cold massage products. The monochrome skeleton was notorious for pushing himself way too hard during his workouts, almost always left with aching bones for several days after. These would help lessen and treat the pain when he inevitably went overboard, making them a gift he would definitely make use of.

This gift clearly came from one of his friends that knew of his bad habit, and one in particular was always chastising him for his recklessness. "I get the hint Blue, I'll try to take better care of myself after workouts," he chuckled, earning a laugh from his shorter friend.

"Mweh heh heh, it's about time you started listening to my amazing advice! Now hurry up and pick me!"

"Wait, you haven't gone yet? Well in that case... Night, I think it should be your turn next!" He couldn't help but laugh at the exasperated cry from his friend, shooting him a look when he started getting puppy dog eyes. "Dude, you always go first! This is what you get!"

Nightmare chuckled a bit as well at his soulmate's cruelty, getting up to grab his present from the four remaining. While he was pretty calm and indifferent as he opened it, that quickly disappeared as he saw what was inside. A stuffed black octopus was sitting in the box, staring up at him with a perpetual glare that he knew was a jab at his own typically grumpy demeanor. Just pulling it out of the box set many of the others to snickering, including Fell who had crawled out of hiding and had the smuggest look on his face right now. "You did this, didn't you? You think you're so funny," the octopus growled, his grip tightening on the toy in his hand.

That just set the mountain lion off, a raspy chuckle following his accusation. "Oh, I like to think I'm hilarious, but I can't take credit for your gift. Maybe the idea, but not the actual present." His tail wrapped protectively around his soulmate's waist, only then alerting Nightmare to how badly the meek scientist was trembling.

"You're a bastard and you know it," he grumbled, turning around and chucking the plushie at Cross while Fell returned the sentiment. The monochrome skeleton was a little confused, but wasn't going to complain since he thought the little toy was cute in how it reminded him of Nightmare. When nudged to pick from the remaining three, the grumpy skeleton was in no mood to think about it and simply pointed to Blue who was clearly trying to get his attention.

"YES! FINALLY!" Blue wasted no time in ripping into his present, clearly anxious after being forced to wait so long. And what he found inside his present only resulted in more excited screeching that once again had daemons covering their ears. "SUGAR!!!"

"Oh god, this has got to be the worst present of them all!" Lust whined, most of the college students watching in dismay as their excitable friend pulled package after package of various Christmas-themed sweets, ranging from candy canes to cookies to chocolates and everything in between. "Whoever did this, fess up. We need to know who's responsible for releasing this monstrosity upon the world."

"You're being over-dramatic," Blue insisted as he was already peeling the wrapping off both a candy cane and a chocolate bar. "I'm not that bad!" Ignoring the chorus of 'yes you are' he got while he stuffed his face, the small skeleton noticed that one of his friends didn't seem to be nearly as worried as the others. "Gewo, y're tha bst!"

All eyes were suddenly on their frail friend once they deciphered what Blue said through his mouthful of candy, a chuckle and shrug being the only answer he had for his actions. "What can I say? He clearly likes his gift!"

"You've doomed us all," Lust insisted before turning back to Blue. "Since your mouth is full, just point to whoever's next. Geno or Dream?" A gnawed-on candy cane was quickly directed at Geno, likely as a way of thanking him for a gift no others would dare get him, before he turned his attention to splitting his treasure with Dust so that they could both enjoy them.

Before Geno could even think of trying to get to his feet to move towards his present, Reaper had already jumped to his feet and collected the gift, presenting it to the smaller with a bow. "For you, sweetheart."

"I could've got it myself."

"I'm sure you could've, but we both know you would've struggled without your cane. Besides, this lets me spoil you!"

A muted grumble escaped the smaller as he once again hid in his scarf to hide his growing blush, though he quickly turned his focus to the present now resting in his lap. With wrapping paper being flung everywhere and a quick request to his boyfriend to cut the box open, the frail skeleton blinked a couple times in surprise before noticeably growing quite happy. "I've been looking everywhere for this set!" he blurted out, pulling out the first of three books and thumbing through it with a huge smile. When he examined the inside of the front cover he had to stop, his smile growing wider as he read over what had been written in there. "You got them straight from the author and got her to autograph them?! Thanks Killer, these are great!"

"Wait, how did you know they were from me?!" The frog blurted out, many of the college students chuckling at his comment.

"I'd be more surprised if Geno didn't figure it out," Cross commented, some of his friends nodding in agreement. "Every year without fail he guesses who got him his present correctly."

"Also doesn't help that you originally gave the author your name when getting it signed," Reaper added with a chuckle, taking the book from his soulmate and spinning it around so that the others could see the scribbled-out K right next to Geno's name.

"It was the last copy of the first book she had available," Killer muttered, his face growing hot in shame of such a mistake in his gift.

Taking his new book back, Geno fondly ran his fingers over the cover before turning back to the daemon. "Well, I still really appreciate it. I've never been able to make it to any of her signings since I was usually in the hospital, and she's my favourite author. Also, couldn't seem to find this trilogy anywhere, so thanks a lot." As he slid the book back into the box, he turned to the last skeleton in the group to receive their present. "Well Dream, looks like it's finally your turn. Hopefully you get an awesome present that'll really end the exchange off well."

"I hope so too!" The golden skeleton giggled, getting up and grabbing the small box that was the last one in the center of the circle. He shook it around a bit, only to frown at the lack of sound that came. Now extremely curious, he opened the box only to find a small note written at the bottom. _Head to the closed-off room to the left of the front door to find your real present._ "Okay... not what I was expecting," he shrugged, pausing long enough to show the note to his boyfriend so that they knew what he was doing before heading off and disappearing into the nearby room.

"Wonder who got him this one," Blue commented, turning to his boyfriend once he heard him snickering.

"It's pretty obvious that this one's from Horror, he's the only one that hasn't given a gift yet," Error pointed out. "Even the ones that were guessed wrong were pretty obvious."

"I'm still sorry about that by the way," Ink added, turning to see where his best friend was. "So, what did you get him, Horror?"

The snake just chuckled as he hugged Lust close. "Trust me, you'll find out real soon."

"PUPPY!!!" Came the shrill scream from the nearby room, everyone now seeing what Horror meant.

"No! You did not get my brother a dog!" Nightmare complained, halfway between frustrated and exasperated. "He's got enough to deal with! He doesn't need a dog on top of everything!"

"Actually, I disagree Nightmare." All eyes were on Killer as he went against their leader for once, possessing a surprising amount of confidence despite the glare boring holes into his skull. "A pet could be exactly what he needs, someone completely dependent one him for survival and that can be a constant companion to offer comfort whenever he needs it."

"Isn't that what you're for?" The octopus hissed, grumbling at the excited barking he could now hear.

Lust turned up to look at his boyfriend, chuckling at how proud he was with his present. "How'd you get the dog to stay so quiet?"

"Food," was all he said in response, though the answer made perfect sense considering who it came from. "By the way, that's only half his present."

"Oh, what the fuck else did you get my bro-"

"KITTY!!!"

"OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Before he could lay into the scarred skeleton for gifting his twin two pets that he'd ultimately have to deal with, Dream came running out with a fluffy puppy at his heels and a kitten in his arms. "Oh my god, I hate this so much."

"Night! Lookie! I got a puppy and a kitty! And they're so soft and cuddly and they already love me!"

"Oh cool! You managed to get the two from the shelter that really liked him!" Killer congratulated his brother, giving him a big thumbs up.

"Those two almost look like purebreds," Lust pondered, though he couldn't place the breed.

Horror nodded in agreement to the comment, confirming their purebred nature. "Rescues from breeding mills is what the lady said. Dog's an akita, super loyal, smart, and observant dogs that always keep an eye out for a threat. Cat's a ragdoll, cuddly thing that loves attention and cuddles. At least that's what the lady told me."

"So you've got a protector and a cuddler as well as two new best friends!" Ink blurted out, already running over to meet the pets that would be living in the same apartment as him.

"This was a horrible idea," Nightmare moaned, burying his head in his hands.

Cross chuckled at the grumpy response, finding himself looking at the little plushie he was still holding onto. "Oh come on, you hentai reject. It's not that bad!"

"It is! And quit calling me that!"

"Come on Nighty, where's your Christmas spirit?"

"Bah fucking humbug," he grumbled, only to look up as the cat wandered directly over to him. Ignoring the attempts to shoo it, the cat immediately crawled into Nightmare's lap and curled up, purring contently. "The fuck? Why does this thing want to be anywhere near me?"

"Isn't it obvious? It knows you're a good person Night!" Dream insisted, his smile never falling as he watched over Ink playing with his new dog.

"But... I'm not..." The daemon sighed, reluctantly petting the small creature in his lap. "Okay... maybe this present isn't so bad."

That caused Cross to throw his arm around his boyfriend, doing so gently to avoid startling the cat. "There's that Christmas spirit I was looking for!" As much as the octopus wanted to deny the comment and try to maintain his grumpy disposition, he had to admit that this was definitely a better Christmas than the few he remembered from his childhood. Sighing, he let his frown go, holding his soulmate closer as he finally started smiling.

"This is the best Christmas ever!" Dream happily declared, giggling as his dog had hopped on top of him and was now licking his face. And every single skeleton present was in complete agreement with him on that statement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have now idea how fun that was to write. The whole gift exchange was completely randomized too, using wheels and secret santa list generators to assign gift givers, determine the order of who opened things, and whether they guessed their present right. How I got the only two skeles that guessed wrong being the ones that got gifts from their boyfriend is beyond me XD
> 
> Like I said at the beginning, these events are canon, and when things line up in the timeline, expect to see those gifts making appearances!
> 
> But I'm curious which gift you guys liked the most or thought was extremely fitting for the character. And expect plenty of updates for the main storyline coming throughout the next year! Happy holidays!!!


End file.
